


Feels like I’ve opened my eyes again

by ICanSpellConfusionWithAK



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Romance, Season 2 Speculation, general adorableness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:20:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 48
Words: 117,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26828767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ICanSpellConfusionWithAK/pseuds/ICanSpellConfusionWithAK
Summary: After the whirlwind her life has been since the boys showed up it’s not that surprising that Julie would be a little tired. But is it normal that she’s more exhausted than she’s ever been? With Nick acting weird, Alex and Reggie both wrapped up in their own problems and her relationship with Luke still a big question mark she has her work cut out for her if she’s looking to sit back and relax.Basically my ideas and speculation about what season 2 might hold, or at least some of the things I would like to see.All lyrics included are written by me unless I specifically state otherwise.
Relationships: Alex & Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Comments: 2896
Kudos: 1537





	1. An apple a day keeps Nick away

Luke drummed his fingers on Julie’s kitchen counter partly out of boredom and partly to make his annoyance known. Not that he had any real doubt that his target could possibly be unaware of his current frustration. It was coursing through him so strongly he would be surprised if she couldn’t feel it physically radiating off of him. 

From his position sitting on top of the counter, cross legged and hunched over, Luke had a perfect view of Julie sitting at the table, books and papers spread out around her. That wasn’t the problem of course. The problem was who was sitting with her at the table. 

Nick.

The guy seemed to have become a permanent fixture in the Molina household these days, frequent study sessions with Julie often bleeding over into invitations from Ray to stay for dinner. Invitations the kid never seemed to turn down. The little weasel. Floppy blonde hair, a letterman jacket, and totally pg vibes that somehow said “your daughter will lose her mind over me” and “I’ll have her home before 10” simultaneously. No wonder Julie’s dad kept inviting him to dinner. 

It wasn’t that Luke begrudged Julie’s need to study. Sure, he’d tried to talk her into skipping class a couple of times and he had encouraged her to sneak out her window that one night but it wasn’t like he wanted to be a totally bad influence on her. He had never really cared for school. It had always felt like nothing more than an obstacle between him and where he really wanted to be and an excuse for his parents to get on his case. He knew it was important to Julie though. So it was important to him. Sort of. There were limits. 

Multiple study dates with Nick per week was over the limit. 

Not that they were dates. He knew Nick had a bit of a thing for Julie but she had never seemed to pay him that much attention. Until now, a traitorous part of Luke’s brain pointed out.

He drummed his fingers more aggressively against the counter earning him a glare from Julie though she quickly schooled her expression into a tired smile when Nick looked up. 

“Everything ok?”’Nick asked, offering Julie one of those signature dopey smiles he seemed to wear almost permanently these days.

Luke hated it because it reminded him of the one he could feel stretching across his own face so often in Julie’s presence. It made him uncomfortable to see himself as another goofy kid totally bowled over by how amazing she was. It made him more than uncomfortable to think he might catch Julie returning such a smile with Nick rather than him. Not that he was prepared to admit that out loud just yet. 

“Yeah, I’m good,” Julie immediately contradicted her words by letting out a yawn which she hurried to cover with her hand. “Sorry. What did you get for number 3?” 

They went back to talking about math and Luke went back to glowering at the back of Nick’s head. 

Couldn’t he tell that she was tired? She always seemed to be tired these days. Tired while she studied with Nick, tired while she ate with her family, tired while the band practiced and tired while she worked on lyrics with him. Or more often than not had to put off their writing sessions because she could barely keep her eyes open. 

He didn’t want to make her feel bad about it of course. But if he was being honest it sucked. It didn’t exactly come naturally to him to put off something he really wanted to do, though since Julie had accused him of only caring about himself he’d been doing his best to prove to her just how much that wasn’t true. So he always sent her off to bed with a smile and reassurance that he wasn’t mad. Which he wasn’t.

Except at Nick and his inability to take a hint. 

Deciding enough was enough, Luke pretended to stretch, inching his elbow along the counter until it nudged the bowl of fruit sitting there and sent apples tumbling to the floor. 

Julie and Nick both snapped their heads around to first track the apples rolling across the floor then up to the counter where Luke still sat, a slightly smug smile adorning his face.

He expected it when Julie’s eyes snapped to his, full of irritation, but he wasn’t expecting Nick’s to land there as well, a slight smirk flashing across his face for a single instant before his eyes slid past Luke’s face and settled on Julie’s instead. 

What the hell was that? 

Before he could focus too much on what he thought he saw Carlos picked that moment to pipe up from the foot of the stairs.

“Julie, I think your friend needs a time out,” Carlos chuckled. “I’m sorry, I mean a few minutes in the meditation corner to think about why he feels the need to act out.” 

Nick looked up from where he had crouched to help pick up the apples.

“I didn’t do anything though,” Nick protested.

“Not you, Julie’s ghost friend,” Carlos explained, eyes shooting dramatically around the room in all the wrong directions looking for Luke’s presence. “Can’t you sense him?” 

“Your brother’s weird,” Nick told Julie, placing the last apple back into the bowl and brushing his hand against her shoulder.

Luke fought the urge to find something else to throw at him. 

“Tell me about it,” Julie groaned, rolling her eyes. 

She yawned again, seemingly unable to stop herself. 

Luke felt his chest constrict with worry. 

“Well, I had better be going,” Nick said, glancing at the time on his phone. “We still on for working on that history paper tomorrow night?”

“Um, well I’m not sure. I might need a night off. Check in at school tomorrow?” Julie asked. Her smile was only slightly strained but it was more than enough for Luke to pick up on.

“Sure, sounds good.” 

And then he was finally gone. 

“Finally!” Luke shoved himself off of the counter with both hands, landing with a thump he knew Carlos wouldn’t hear. “Does that guy ever take a hint?” 

Julie shot him a warning look. 

“Carlos, why don’t you go ask Dad if we can order pizza for dinner?”

“He’ll never go for it,” Carlos said dismissively, still glancing around the room dramatically in search of ghostly evidence. 

“Tell him it was my idea and that I’ll do the dishes,” Julie countered impatiently. 

Carlos gave her an examining look. 

“This is clearly a ploy to get me out of the room so you can communicate with your spirit friends but I really want pizza so...DAD!” 

And with that he was gone, off in search of Ray leaving only Luke leaning against the counter and Julie standing with her arms crossed.

“I miss pizza,” Luke said forlornly. 

Julie just frowned and Luke sighed. So he wasn’t getting out of this conversation then. 

“What was that about?” She demanded.

Luke considered pretending not to know what she was talking about. A few weeks ago he would have but it felt like they were beyond that now. She would just see straight through him anyway.

“I don’t like him hanging around so much,” Luke said bluntly. “Why did he suddenly lose the ability to do homework on his own? Can’t he tell you're tired?” 

Julie sighed. 

“People get tired, Luke. Living people. We still have to go to school and do our homework and...and...mow the lawn.” 

“You don’t really have a lawn, Julie,” Luke argued. “Just a big garden type thing and…”

“That’s not the point,” Julie huffed, throwing her hands up in exasperation. She took a deep breath seeming to calm herself and then took a step closer to him.

“Look, I know I haven’t been pulling my weight in band practice.” 

“What? No, Julie, that’s not what I meant.” 

“But Nick told me he needs to raise his grades so he can keep playing lacrosse and he and Carrie broke up and he could use a friend. You can understand that right?”

She looked up at him with her big eyes and he struggled against the urge to just melt into a puddle at her feet. He wasn’t sure if that was a ghost thing or a “Julie is too cute to handle” thing. Possibly both.

“I can understand you’re a good person and you want to help people,” Luke said gently. “I mean look at us right? You’re practically a one woman ghost life improvement squad. But you have to take care of yourself too.” 

Julie returned his smile, shifting almost imperceptibly closer to him. He wondered if she knew she was doing that. He wondered if she knew she was doing a lot of things.

“I know. Thanks, Luke. Band practice after dinner and writing session after that?” 

Luke sighed, shaking his head with a rueful smile.

“See, I don’t think rest and take care of yourself must mean the same thing in 2020 as it did in 1995 cause I’m pretty sure that’s not what I said.” 

“I really want to write with you though. I’ll go straight to bed after. I promise.” 

Luke held up his hands accepting his defeat. If he was being honest he was mostly just glad it seemed he was off the hook for his stunt with the apples.

Julie had started to walk away, but she turned to grin at him over her shoulder. 

“Oh, and I think Carlos is right.” 

Luke shot her a quizzical look which she answered with a mischievous one of her own.

“You could use some time in the meditation corner to think about why you feel the need to act out.” 

Luke laughed. 

“I’m a rockstar baby, acting out is kinda my thing.” 

Julie didn’t have a quick response and he was pretty sure he spotted a blush on her cheeks. 

He liked that. He made a mental note to try to bring it out more often. 

Luke chuckled again, offering Julie one more grin before poofing out to the garage.


	2. Manly, appropriate screams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for everyone who has reviewed, left kudos or bookmarked this story! I’m so excited to get to play around with this world and talk to some people who love it as much as I do. First time including my lyrics for the characters to have written so that’s fun. Let me know what you think!

By the time band practice was over Julie was practically drooping over the piano, her posture so bad she could almost hear her childhood piano teacher rapping her knuckles against the top of the instrument and insisting she straighten up. 

Julie had never been great at maintaining that stance but that had tended to be because she couldn’t contain the way her body wanted to respond to the music, not because she was so exhausted she couldn’t stay upright.

She was just so tired. She couldn’t remember the last time she hadn't been tired. Sometime between their jubilant realization that the guys got to stay for the time being and the start of her frequent study sessions with Nick but she couldn’t pinpoint it more than that. She didn’t even have the energy to try. 

Maybe Luke was right, though she didn’t relish the thought of telling him so. She might need to take it easy for a few days.

After all she had spent nearly a year dragging herself half heartedly through a fog only to realize ghosts were real, form a band, perform multiple times, and deal with the world’s most doomed from the start crush all within a couple of months. 

Tired made sense. 

More sense than the world’s most doomed crush, the object of which happened to be shooting her a worried look at that very moment.

Apparently he wasn’t the only one who noticed her quickly progressing lack of energy because before the final notes of the song had finished ringing out Alex was suggesting they call it a night. 

“We could do one more if you guys want,” Julie offered though she hoped they wouldn’t take her up on it if she was being entirely honest.

“Nah,” Alex was already standing up from behind the drum set. “I told Willie I would meet up with him tonight anyway.” 

“Well, I’ve got nothing to do,” Reggie stated. “Do you guys want to watch a movie on Julie’s computer? I heard they made another Indiana Jones movie. Can you believe it? Cause I’m starting to think they haven’t had one new idea for a movie since we died and...”

He trailed off, clearly catching the pointed look Luke and Alex were both shooting him, the former making a slicing motion across his throat and the latter shaking his head aggressively to make sure their friend took the hint. 

Julie couldn’t help the small smile that stretched across her tired face. The three of them were pretty adorable when they interacted with each other. Subtle, no, but definitely adorable.

“I mean...now that I think about it Ray is probably missing me. Chopped is on tonight.” 

Alex rolled his eyes and both he and Reggie poofed out of the garage leaving her and Luke alone. 

Luke sighed and swung his guitar over his head and back onto its stand. He glanced up to see her watching him and shot her a sheepish smile, one hand coming up to tug at his hair.

If she didn’t know better she would say he was nervous. Actually, scratch that she  _ did  _ know better and he  _ was  _ nervous. She fought the blush that wanted to make an appearance on her cheeks.

Ever since the night Julie had started being able to touch the guys and her first instinct had been to reach up and cradle Luke’s face it had been hard for either of them to pretend they were strictly friends. Of course it hadn’t been that easy even before that. Interesting little relationship and all. 

But they were both still hovering in that limbo between friends and something more, neither of them quite ready to be the first to speak about it out loud. 

And most of the time that was fine, it really was. She had “no music is worth making if we can’t make it with you” to hold her over until they got their act together. Part of her wondered if Luke held on to “we make each other better” and “thank her for bringing you to me” the same way. 

Luke finally broke their eye contact and shook his head bashfully. 

“What?”

Julie shrugged. 

“Nothing. Just thinking about how when we first met you screamed like a little girl.” 

“Hey! I did not! It was a very manly, appropriate scream given the situation.” Luke argued walking over to the piano where she still sat. “You must be thinking of Reggie.”

He sat down beside her on the piano bench and Julie grinned and bumped his shoulder with hers, loving the fact that she could actually feel the impact.

“I’m pretty sure it was you,” She insisted, tilting her head up to look at him.

She didn’t miss the way his eyes softened when they met hers. 

“Cut me some slack, it had been a long day.”

“That’s an understatement.” Julie giggled. “So are we going to do some writing or…”

She scolded herself mentally as a yawn she couldn’t quite contain burst out cutting off her own words. So much for convincing Luke that she was fine and more than capable of being a good friend to Nick, and a decent student and a good band member and an attentive...whatever they were these days. 

She was right to worry because Luke’s brows instantly furrowed as he took in the exhausted look on her face.

“Are you sure you’re ok, Julie? You’ve been dead on your feet for weeks.” 

“Interesting choice of words,” Julie tried for a joke but Luke’s frown stayed firmly in place. “I’m fine, Dad.” 

“Don’t call me that,” Luke shuddered and Julie smirked. 

“Why not? Aren’t you technically like 40 or something?” She teased.

“Ew, no,” Luke threw up his hands as if to ward off the idea. “We were only in that weird room for an hour. I don’t know how all this works but I’m 17. Definitely 17.” 

He emphasized the last part and Julie decided to let him off the hook. It wasn’t like she actually thought he was some middle aged dude. She knew whatever ghost magic was involved the boys were still very much boys. That didn’t mean she couldn’t rub their supposed geriatric state in their faces every once in a while when it suited her.

“So writing or…” 

Luke didn’t respond for a moment and Julie worried that her lack of energy really had ruined the evening she’d been looking forward to. It wasn’t always that easy to get Luke alone between the other boys' antics, Ray’s tendency to pop up at the worst times, Carlos’ nosiness and now Nick’s constant presence.

Finally Luke stood and held a hand out to her. 

Julie looked up at him questioningly, her heart pounding a little harder than she wanted to admit.

“Come on.”

Julie placed her hand in Luke’s and let him tug her up and over to the couch. He pushed her down until she sat, retrieving his notebook with a flourish before plopping down next to her. 

He looked at her expectantly and Julie raised an eyebrow in response. She wasn’t sure exactly what his plan was here. 

Then he reached up and patted his shoulder, jerking his head to indicate what he wanted her to do.

Ok, Julie was definitely blushing now. Still she hated to back down from a challenge and she especially hated to let Luke feel like he was winning whatever game they were currently playing of who could appear the most nonchalant. 

So without letting herself think about it too hard Julie slid over on the couch, closing the small distance between them and rested her head against his shoulder with only a slight amount of hesitation. 

It was awkward for a moment or two. Julie didn’t exactly have a lot of experience cuddling with cute boys and she was suddenly very self conscious of every part of her body. Her cheek had landed a little off on his shoulder and the bone there was poking her a bit uncomfortably. The angle of her neck also left something to be desired and she knew she’d be sore if she stayed in that position for long. Her feet were still firmly on the floor and that felt wrong too. Her hands were currently in her own lap and she was fighting the urge to flutter them nervously. Overall, she knew she wasn’t exactly the picture of cool and collected and she hated it. 

What she did not hate though was being this close to Luke. His shoulder felt warm where it pressed against her cheek, warmer than it had any right to be given she knew there was no blood pumping beneath his skin. She could feel him breathing too and somehow that was incredibly comforting, especially when she felt the slight stilt in his air intake that proved he was also affected by her proximity even if he was playing it cooler than she was able to. She wondered if breathing was just a habit for him at this point. Either way she was grateful. It let her pretend he was just a boy and she was just a girl and none of this had to be fraught with potential tragedy.

“Comfy?” Luke’s voice rumbled out from beneath her cheek and she could hear the amusement in his voice. 

Julie considered lying and leaving things as they were but Luke would know so what was the point? 

“Give me a minute,” Julie responded in a determined tone, sitting up abruptly which seemed to take Luke by surprise.

Making an effort to avoid looking at the boy next to her, Julie reached down and yanked off her sneakers before tucking her legs up beside her on the couch. She then looped both of her arms around the one of his closest to her and leaned her head down to meet him again. This time she had better aim and her cheek ended up pressed in the soft spot between his shoulder and neck.

For his part Luke froze while she got into position clearly not having expected her to take the initiative to take their cuddling up a notch. He didn’t seem to be complaining though and within a second or two he had relaxed against her. 

He chose to flip the notebook he still held open, gripping a pen in the hand not currently being toyed with by one of Julie’s own. 

“So do you want to hear what I worked on last night? It’s just a few lines but…”

“I’m sure it’s great,” Julie assured him, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. Luke bumped his head against hers softly in a silent thank you and she knew he was smiling though she couldn’t see it.

This was nice. She could definitely get used to this. 

“Right, so, here goes.” 

Luke read the few lines of lyrics out first in his normal speaking voice.

_ I had a dream _

_ I had a turn _

_ But maybe I didn’t learn _

_ What I needed to know  _

_ I had a plan  _

_ I had an end  _

_ But maybe I didn’t bend  _

_ When I was wrong  _

_ All of the things that I lost _

_ And all of the things I never found _

_ I try to keep pace, try not to waste _

_ My second chance  _

Julie fought down the tears that threatened to spring up behind her eyes. So far the songs she had worked on with Luke had been emotionally charged and undoubtedly real but with lyrics generic enough to be applied to just about anyone. She knew that was probably a defense mechanism for both of them. It wasn’t easy to open up your diary and let someone truly see you but that was exactly what Luke was doing in this moment. 

And Julie knew exactly what he was trying to say. 

After all, the boys popping up in her garage were the start of her second chance too. 

“It’s beautiful, Luke,” She told him truthfully. “Do you have a melody yet?”

“Just a couple of ideas,” He answered as his body tensed slightly, suddenly shy.

Julie snuggled into his side a little bit closer and she felt rather than saw him relax. 

“Can I hear?” She asked softly.

Luke started humming, wordless variations on a melody rising and falling as a physical sensation Julie could feel flowing between them. 

She tried to focus but her eyes dropped lower and lower as the tide of sleep tugged her away from him. The last things she was aware of were the soft sound of his voice and the warmth of his body before she drifted too far away to pull herself back. 


	3. Cuter than the ducks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ok, Alex and Reggie are precious and hilarious and writing them gives me so much joy. I hope you guys enjoy their contributions to this chapter as much as I do because as I was writing it I could hear their lines in their voices and it made me so happy.

As far as Luke could tell the new slightly less ghosty ghost upgrades he and the boys had received after the Orpheum show did not include eating and sleeping. That was a little bit of a bummer. He missed food of course but he was also surprised how much he missed being able to turn his brain off for a few hours and wake up feeling rested. True, he never got tired in the first place but that wasn’t the point. 

Still. As he looked down at the girl currently sleeping curled up at his side, a girl he could  _ feel _ pressed up against him, it was hard to be anything but grateful for the changes they had gone through. 

Besides, there was nothing stopping him from  _ pretending  _ to sleep. So that’s what he did. He tossed his notebook and pen gently to the floor, settled back against the couch a little more comfortably and let his head rest against the top of Julie’s. He closed his eyes and let himself drift into as much of a content, blank mental space as he could.

Maybe Ray was onto something with sending his kids to the “meditation corner” after all. This whole emptying your mind thing wasn’t half bad.

Luke stayed in that position for several hours, eyes closed and brain mostly empty until what could only be described as giggling broke through the peace he had carved out for himself.

Well, it couldn’t have lasted forever. 

“Shh,” He hissed without opening his eyes. “Julie’s sleeping.”

“I know, I know but come on dude, this is like the cutest thing I’ve ever seen,” Reggie gushed. “Alex has tears in his eyes.” 

“I do not!” Alex objected in a whisper so loud it somehow managed to come across more as a shout. 

“Bro, you cried over some baby ducklings last week, no way you were staying dry eyed when faced with something this adorable.” 

“Ok, that was different. The mama duck was leading them across the road, Reg.  _ In a little line _ .”

Letting out a frustrated huff of air through his nose, Luke gave up on reclaiming his tranquility and allowed his eyes to snap open. 

“Would you two knock it off? Julie needs the rest.” 

That was enough to shut them up and they even had the decency to look a little guilty as they focused more intently on their sleeping friend.

“How’s she doing?” Alex asked softly. “Really?”

Luke started to shrug then realized at the last minute that would disturb Julie. 

“I’m not sure,” He sighed. “She’s exhausted all the time but instead of taking care of herself she just keeps saying yes to every dumb thing someone asks her to do for them. You don’t…”

He glanced between the girl at his side and his friends before continuing.

“You don’t think she’s sick or something right?”

He could barely say the words out loud. How could they be true? Julie was young, and beautiful and perfect. How could anything be wrong with her?

But he died after eating the wrong hotdog. He didn’t have the luxury of thinking teenagers were invincible.

“I’m sure she’s fine, man,” Reggie stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on Luke’s free shoulder. 

“Yeah, it’s been a weird few months,” Alex agreed. “We’d be tired too if we weren’t…

“Dead?” Reggie supplied helpfully with a smile earning him an eye roll from Alex.

“Yeah, Reggie. Dead.” 

“Should I take her back to her room?” Luke asked, dropping his gaze to Julie again. 

“Uhhh...what if her dad wakes up and sees her floating through the air?” Alex asked.

“That would be rad!” Reggie said gleefully. “Poltergeist level. Carlos would love it.”

“Could you stop leading that child into the occult?” Alex snapped.

“No can do,” Reggie said smugly. “It’s kind of our thing.”

“Ok, maybe not carrying her to her room then.” Luke sighed. “Let me just…”

He started trying to carefully extricate himself from his position on the couch which wasn’t exactly easy with Julie’s entire small form wrapped around him. He didn’t want to be responsible for her waking up in pain though so he persisted. 

He had managed to slip almost his entire body off of the couch while simultaneously lowering Julie gently to its surface but his victory was short-lived when her hand refused to uncurl from around his. 

Both Alex and Reggie were standing around pretending not to watch but if the smiles on their faces were any indication they were still getting plenty of enjoyment out of the scene unfolding before them. 

Luke spent another moment or two trying to gently pry her fingers open to no avail before finally admitting defeat and sliding to a seated position in front of the couch. Julie’s hand dangled over the edge and remained curled tightly around his. 

“Ok, I take it back this is way cuter than the ducks,” Alex finally burst out.

“Right?” Reggie agreed, gesturing to the pair in front of him. “Our babies all grown up and holding hands.” 

“Ok, ok, show’s over,” Luke groaned as quietly as he could manage. “I think I saw a blanket up in the loft can one of you find it for me?”

“Sure, sure, we get it, privacy, boundaries, deep dish…” Reggie started listing off earning him incredulous looks from both his friends.

“That’s not...never mind,” Alex sighed. “Come on.”

Both of his fellow ghosts poofed up to the loft and Luke heard the sounds of rummaging for a moment before a blanket landed on his head like an admittedly soft projectile from above.

“Sorry,” Reggie called out.

“Shhhh!” Alex said again in his not all that quiet whisper. 

Luke for his part chose to ignore them and used his free hand to spread the blanket over Julie. It was a little awkward doing it with one hand but he managed. 

After a few moments relative silence fell over the garage again and Luke found himself begrudgingly grateful to his friends for giving him a little privacy. 

They were a lot. But they were his family.

He hadn’t been ready for his life to end suddenly in that alley and he knew deep down that he hadn’t really dealt with all of his feelings about the future he’d lost. None of them had. 

But he also knew that he had meant it when he told Julie he had no regrets. He could say that because even when he had lost his way with the family he was born into he had always had the family he chose. The fact that they were still with him even now was something he would never stop being grateful for. 

He gently squeezed the small hand wrapped around his and didn’t fight the soft smile that made its way onto his face when she returned the gesture even in her sleep.

His chosen family had grown.  _ Julie _ . This incredible, talented, amazing girl who gave him back music, and his mom and his ability to touch and...he could easily spend the rest of the night listing things Julie had given him. 

And sitting there on the floor of the studio, in the middle of the night, with his ghostly brothers hovering somewhere above him, Luke made a silent promise to the sleeping girl that he would find a way to give her whatever she needed. 

He didn’t know exactly what that was big picture but that was a problem for the morning. 

For now, Luke simply drew Julie’s hand to his chest and leaned his head back until he could feel her hair tickling the back of his neck. Then he closed his eyes and focused on getting back to that relaxed state he’d been enjoying so much before.

_ Meditation corner, here I come.  _


	4. Double Trouble is Right

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovely fantoms! Thanks so much for all your comments and kudos. Genuinely without the comments the motivation to write just drains right out of me so help me keep updating quickly lol!! 
> 
> A few things: 
> 
> -I’m changing the rating of the story to teen. This chapter makes the most vague, pg reference to sex ever but the since the show is technically aimed at children I decided it was better to be safe than sorry.
> 
> -Flynn is in this chapter! And she introduced us to our first subplot of the “season”. That’s right, I’ve got plots planned, I’ve got subplots planned. I’ve got an idea for the “season” finale. Call me Netflix, I am available! 
> 
> -Every chapter there is usually a line that I write that makes myself giggle and just love that I get to make these characters say ridiculous things. Last chapter it was “Could you stop leading that child into the occult!” Any guesses what line it is in this chapter? 
> 
> I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think.

Julie woke up feeling groggy and far less rested than she would have hoped. She was pretty sure she had been having a good dream though. She couldn’t remember it exactly but she thought it had involved re-enacting the “I’m flying” scene from Titanic with Luke.

Julie let a smile stretch lazily across her face. Thank God dream sharing wasn’t part of their whole freaky ghost connection. The last thing she needed was any of the guys realizing just how pathetic she was when it came to Luke at this point. 

“Watcha thinking about?” 

Her eyes snapped open. 

“Ahhh!” Julie shrieked. 

She had not been expecting for both Alex and Reggie to be kneeling in front of her, their faces only inches away from hers. Their marching grins didn’t flicker even as she scrambled to put some distance between them. 

Her eyes darted around the studio. 

“What am I even doing out here?” 

Alex and Reggie exchanged a knowing look.

“She doesn’t remember?”

“She doesn’t remember.” 

“That’s adorable.”

“Totally adorable.”

“Ok, that’s enough.” Julie cut them off, raising one hand to massage her suddenly aching head. “I fell asleep on the couch. I remember. I just can’t believe I spent the whole night out here.” 

“Right, exactly. You fell asleep on the  _ couch _ .” Alex nodded, grin still firmly in place. “You were really making yourself comfortable on the  _ couch _ . Right Reg?” 

“Super, duper comfortable,” Reggie agreed. “On the  _ couch _ .” 

Ah. So she had in fact fallen asleep on Luke and the rest of the guys had in fact seen them. Perfect.

Julie groaned. 

“Where is he?” 

“Once you finally let go of his hand he went to see if there was anything new in your fridge,” Reggie explained. “He’ll be back soon.” 

“Wait...what time is it?” Julie dug through the cushions until she found her phone, unlocking it frantically. “I’m going to be late to school again!” 

She jumped up and raced for the doors of the garage, throwing them open and practically hurling herself outside only to spin on her heels.

“You two just stop…” Julie waved her hand in the air to indicate the two boys in front of her. “All of this.”

“Do you know what she’s referring to?” Reggie asked with a false sense of confusion. 

“I do not, Reginald,” Alex smirked.

“Ugh!” Julie let out a small scream of frustration before sprinting for the house.

She burst into the front door and almost ran directly into Carlos who was putting his backpack on in the entranceway. 

“Whoa, what are you trying to do, kill me?” He called after her, clutching his chest dramatically as she ran for the stairs.

“Slow down, Julie, where’s the fire?” Her dad called from his seat at the table. 

“I’m late!” Julie responded barely slowing down.

“That’s what happens when you sleep in the garage,” Her dad gave her a look that clearly indicated he wasn’t entirely pleased about that.

“Chill, Jules,” Luke added from his position standing behind her Dad. It seemed like he had been reading the newspaper over his shoulder.

“Late!” She repeated, dashing up the stairs. 

By the time she had managed to throw on some clean clothes and semi-tame her hair she really was pushing it if she wanted to make it school on time. She took the stairs two at a time as she thumped back down and barely paused to shout goodbye to her Dad before she was out the door. 

“Julie,” Luke must have poofed out to the porch because his voice brought her skidding to a halt. 

“I’m super late!” She reminded him, trying to avoid direct eye contact so she wouldn’t get lost in his eyes and do something stupid like agree to skip school. 

“Yeah, I know, just...are you feeling better? Rested?” 

Julie softened, even her sense of urgency not enough to keep her from being moved by his concern. 

“Yeah, I feel great. But I’ve got to go.” 

Ok, so she was a liar. But there was no point in worrying him over nothing. 

They had a band to make the next big thing, daily life to manage and an evil ghost that as far as they knew was still on the loose. The least of their concerns right now should be her sleep schedule and if she was dragging a little. 

She must have been more convincing than she thought because Luke’s face immediately relaxed, one of those signature, sunshine grins of his spreading over his features. 

Julie lingered in the glow of that smile for a fraction of a second before physically shaking her head to break the spell. 

“I really have to go! I’ll see you tonight. Stay out of trouble.” 

Julie turned and jogged down her driveway, her backpack bumping against her back with each quick step. 

“When have I ever gotten in any trouble?” Luke called after her. 

Julie couldn’t help it. She smiled. 

“I know you’re smiling!” Luke yelled just as she rounded the corner. 

So was this going to be “their thing”? Well, one of their things. There was also passionately sharing a microphone and occasionally walking through each other. 

Julie bit her lip in an effort to tamp down on the smile she couldn’t control. She hated that she was so predictable but there wasn’t much she could do about the way he made her feel.

She’d given up trying right around the time he had guitar soloed his way up to her piano with those big eyes asking for her attention. Flynn had good intentions but there was just never any way that Julie was resisting the feelings that had rooted themselves in her so deeply. 

Speaking of Flynn, Julie’s resident best friend hardly looked up when she slid into the seat next to her with barely a minute to spare before the first bell rang.

She was fiddling with a folded up piece of paper, turning it over in her hands and running her finger over the creases, clearly lost in thought.

“Um, Earth to Flynn?” Julie waved her hand in front of her friend’s face to get her attention. “Do I need to send out a search party or are you good?” 

Flynn’s eyes snapped up to Julie’s and if Julie didn’t know better she would have thought her friend looked embarrassed to have been caught spacing out.

That was totally unlike her friend whose unfaltering confidence was totally aspirational to Julie. 

“Hmm...what?” Flynn shot Julie a guilty look and immediately closed her fist over the paper she held. “Nothing.”

Julie folded her arms.

“I didn’t even ask what it is yet,” She pointed out, giving her friend an examining look. “But now I’m definitely going to.” 

“We don’t have to talk about it,” Flynn said, unzipping her backpack and dropping the paper inside. “I’ve learned a lot from our recent fight. Best friends don’t have to tell each other  _ everything _ . You’re entitled to have a few secrets and…”

Julie leaned in and hid her mouth with her hand so she could whisper directly into Flynn’s ear.

“I was about to tell you I was almost late because I spent the night cuddling with a ghost.” 

Flynn was shocked into silence for a moment before she shook her head.

“Ok, point taken, girl. But let’s wait until lunch to spill our respective stories cause  _ that  _ is going to take some unpacking.” 

“You’re telling me,” Julie sighed. 

Any further comment Flynn might have made was put off by their first period teacher entering the room and starting to take attendance.

Julie had three classes before lunch and only the first one was with Flynn so they really didn’t get to talk anymore for the next few hours. 

She went through the motions of taking notes and trying to more or less process what her teachers were saying but it felt like she was trying to pay attention through a fog. Her brain just wasn’t functioning at 100%. 

By the time she was snagging some food in the lunch line she was once again fighting down yawns that kept threatening to break free. 

She lost the fight at the exact moment she sank down on the grass where she and Flynn always ate, a yawn emerging and earning her some side eye from her friend.

“You really were up all night weren’t you? Anything I need to know?” 

“ _ No _ !” Julie hissed, a blush instantly spreading across her face. “Of course not. We just slept. Or I did. I still don’t think he can.”

Flynn held her hands up in surrender as Julie took an aggressive bite out of her apple.

“I’m just asking. He’s older than you…”

Julie shot her a look.

“You know what I mean. Real life older not ghost years older. And you literally couldn’t touch for the first few months you were crushing on each other. Talk about unresolved tension! I just want you to be careful and not feel pressured.”

Julie appreciated her friend’s concern but not only did she find the conversation mortifying, it was also a reminder of just how up in the air her situation was. 

“I know you’re just looking out for me but trust me there’s no pressure. We haven’t even kissed and...I’m still not 100% sure he even wants to change that.”

Flynn gave her an incredulous look. 

“You’re kidding, right? Have you seen the way he looks at you? Cause I have. That boy is smitten.” 

Julie laughed.

“Smitten?”

Flynn sighed dreamily. 

“Sorry, sometimes when I think about true love I start talking like a character from my grandma’s romance novels. It’s my main reference.” 

Julie shook her head.

“True love? Weren’t you telling me to stay away from Luke’s eyes a few weeks ago?”

“It’s the way you’re missing the obvious for me,” Flynn rolled her eyes. “You can touch him now. He’s  _ real _ . I don’t know how all this works, maybe by next week he’ll be eating and applying to colleges. The point is I want you to be happy and it finally seems like there’s a chance of that with Luke. So we’re good.”

“Thanks.” Julie smiled.

“That is if you two get out of your own way and somebody makes a move already.” 

Julie groaned.

“And there it is.”

Flynn shrugged. 

“I call it like it is. And I reserve the right to change my mind if he doesn't treat you right or the situation changes.”

“What about you?” Julie asked, bumping her friend’s shoulder playfully. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten that I caught you staring dreamily at a piece of paper like it was Harry Styles this morning.” 

“Hallowed be his name,” Flynn held up her hands as if in prayer.

“Ok, you can’t distract me with Harry Styles worship.”

Flynn shot her a knowing look.

“ _ This time _ ,” Julie acknowledged. “You can’t distract me with Harry Styles  _ this time _ . Come on Flynn, what’s up?”

Flynn sighed and reached over to unzip her backpack, digging around inside it until she pulled out the folded up piece of paper Julie had spotted her with earlier. 

“This was in my locker this morning.” 

She handed it to Julie who promptly unfolded the paper and read the words scrawled across it.

_ She DJ’d the dance _

_ But I never got the chance  _

_ To ask her to dance with me  _

_ A beautiful girl  _

_ She’s out of this world  _

_ The only one I can see  _

_ She plays a horn  _

_ It makes me forlorn  _

_ All I can play is lacrosse  _

_ I wonder what she would say  _

_ Would it be ok  _

_ If I asked her out on a date  _

Julie stares at the paper for a moment too long. Whatever she’d been expecting, it hadn’t been that. 

“What do you think?” Flynn asked.

“They lost the rhyme scheme a bit at the end there,” Julie observed.

Flynn snatched the paper back. 

“Not everyone can be a world class lyricist I guess,” She said. “I thought it was sweet.” 

“It is!” Julie assured her, placing her hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Really. I just wasn’t expecting it. A note in your locker is so retro. It’s really cute. Do you know who it’s from?”

Flynn’s smile returned. 

“No idea. Someone on the lacrosse team I’m guessing.” 

“I’m happy for you. But why didn’t you want to show me this earlier?” Julie asked gently. 

She wasn’t upset that Flynn hadn’t immediately told her. She just didn’t see why this was something that would have embarrassed her usually confident friend. 

Flynn sighed.

“It’s just when I saw it I was really excited. Then I guess part of me thought you might think it was dumb compared to everything you have going on. One admittedly mediocre poem isn’t exactly a forbidden supernatural romance.” 

“Hey, never.” 

Julie reached over and drew Flynn into a hug. 

“If you’re excited, I’m excited. Always.” 

Flynn returned her hug giving her an extra tight squeeze for good measure.

Julie yawned directly into Flynn’s ear which transitioned directly into a giggle as she pulled away.

“Sorry!”

Flynn rolled her eyes good naturedly. 

“That’s it. No ghost cuddling tonight, just sleep. Don’t make me come over and chaperone you.” 

Julie grinned.

“No promises.”

Flynn brought her hand up to her chest, pretending to be scandalized.

“Double trouble is right!”

The girls dissolved into laughter and spent the rest of lunch alternately trying to guess who could have written Flynn’s poem and what the boys were getting up to without Julie there to keep an eye on them. 

The rest of the day passed in a blur, with Julie spacing out so badly during one of her music classes that she almost tripped over the new kid and his hilariously oversized cello. 

She was grateful when the final bell rang and she hurried to her locker, quickly tossing the books she didn’t need inside in an effort to get home sooner. 

“Julie, hey! Are we still on for tonight?” Nick popped up next to her and Julie jumped, a mild headache springing up instantly. That was weird. 

Julie sighed and spun to face Nick.

“Nick, hey. Right, the history paper. Do you mind if we take the night off? I’m feeling pretty wiped and it’s not due until next week.” 

Nick frowned and took a step closer to her. Normally he was a total teddy bear but something about his expression had Julie stepping back. 

“I thought we were friends. Friends don’t break promises.” 

Julie stared at Nick, stunned by both his words and his slightly sneering expression.

“I...um...we are friends. I’m just tired. I’m sorry.” 

Nick’s brow furrowed in anger even further for just a split second before his expression changed almost instantly into the easygoing one she expected to see him wearing.

“No problem. Enjoy your night off. You deserve it.”

Julie frowned. His complete 180 was confusing her and the pounding in her head was only getting worse.

“Right, well ok. I’ll see you tomorrow. Sorry again.” 

Without waiting for him to respond, she spun on her heels and hurried out of the school at a quicker pace then she normally would. She wasn’t paying attention to her surroundings and ran smack into someone.

“Oh, I’m sorry...Luke?”

It was him. He gave her that lazy grin he probably had a patent on. 

“This morning you were running to school, now you’re running out...hey are you ok?” 

Her expression must have still been off. For a moment she considered telling him about her odd encounter with Nick but in the end decided against it. What was there to tell really? They had spoken a few sentences and she had gotten a headache. 

“That’s called a coincidence, Julie,” She reminded herself. 

“I’m good. What are you doing here?” 

Luke, seemingly satisfied with her reassurance, practically vibrated with excitement.

“I think I’ve got a line on our next gig.” 

Julie took one more glance back at the school before giving herself a little shake. She was reading too much into everything because her life had been so weird lately. Sometimes people were just a little rude and it didn’t mean anything sinister. 

She looked back to Luke and offered him a more genuine smile.

“Ok, rockstar, tell me more.”


	5. The return of the face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I’m back! Guys, do you realize I’ve posted a chapter 5 days in a row???? I’m not bragging just absolutely shocked I’ve been able to maintain that pace. I give the credit to JATP for being stuck in my head on a loop and you guys for actually commenting so I don’t feel like I’m shouting into the void. Please keep commenting and I will do my best to keep updating quickly. 
> 
> Fun fact, The Basement venue mentioned in this chapter is based on an actual venue of the same name where I used to go see bands play. Good times. 
> 
> We introduce our first new character this chapter and she is named after Josie from Josie and The Pussycats. It recently occurred to me how much JATP reminds me of that movie and how those songs are still great to this day. If you haven’t watched it give it a try!
> 
> Also...I know jealous Luke is popular. I hope you guys enjoy the twist on that this chapter!

“The Basement?” Julie repeated for what felt like the hundredth time since he’d excitedly told her about the venue outside of her school. 

By this point they were back in the studio, Julie standing in the center of the room facing Luke while Reggie and Alex lounged on the couch. 

Things weren’t exactly going as well as he had hoped.

“Stop saying it like that,” Luke insisted.

“Like what?” Julie demanded, one hand settling on her hip. 

“Like it’s not the best news we’ve had since we booked the Orpheum!” Luke exclaimed.

Alex held up one of his drumsticks like he was raising his hand in class.

“Uh, pretty sure ‘you get to continue to exist and by the way you’re more or less solid again’ is the best news we’ve had since we booked the Orpheum.” 

Reggie pointed at Alex and nodded.

“He’s got a point.”

Luke pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers and tried to gather patience he wasn’t feeling.

“Fine, the second best news since we booked the Orpheum. The point is she should be excited.” He spun to face Julie again. “You should be excited. And you’re making the face again.” 

Julie jabbed her finger into his chest and Luke tried not to be distracted from his annoyance by the fact that he was still elated her hand didn’t pass right through him. 

“For the last time that is not my face!” 

Luke held up his hands in surrender. It definitely  _ was  _ her face but a.) he valued his life too much to pick that fight right now and b.) it was a really cute face. 

Julie took a deep breath before she spoke again. 

“Look I get it, The Basement is a legendary venue, but it’s also a  _ bar _ . Do they even know we’re all underage?”

“Ahhhhh  _ technically _ …” Reggie started, gesturing at his fellow ghosts only to be cut off by a glare from Julie. “Yep, no, got it. Forget I’m here.” 

“It was more of a don’t ask don’t tell situation,” Luke admitted. 

Julie immediately started to protest but Luke continued in a rush before she could.

“I know it’s not ideal but Sunset Curve played in 21 and over venues all the time when we were in high school. This is LA, that’s the scene. We’re there to sing not party. It will be fine.” 

“How exactly did you book this gig anyway?” Julie said suspiciously, the question occurring to her much later than Luke had suspected it would.

Alex ended up being the one to answer.

“You left your laptop open on your email which they must have tracked down somehow. Luke did the typing. It took him 2 hours.” 

Alex mimed typing very slowly and Luke shot him a look only to be completely ignored.

“Boundaries!” Julie exclaimed.

“I know, I know. We’re sorry. We were only going to watch our video again when we saw the message pop up. It was addressed to all of us! But I’m sorry. So yeah. What do you think?” 

Luke stumbled over his words hoping his sincerity would come across. He really did feel badly for invading Julie’s privacy again and for not fully thinking through the objections she might have to this particular show. 

He just got so excited when it came to the band he didn’t always see the problems coming.

“I think that there’s no way my Dad is going to let me play in a basement bar full of grimy dudes late at night,” Julie sighed. “But I’ll ask. Maybe if he comes with me.” 

Alex sat up abruptly. 

“Uh, Julie, you can’t bring your dad to a gig at The Basement. That’s going to really highlight our not totally approved ages and besides...he’s a dad.” 

“Hey!” Reggie protested. “Ray’s the coolest.” 

Alex paused to give his friend a judgemental look before continuing. 

“Sure. Whatever. Anyway, is there anyone else he would trust to go with you? Preferably someone under 40.”

Julie paused as if deep in thought and Luke felt hope swell in him for the first time since this conversation started. 

He understood her reservations, he really did. That’s why he wasn’t suggesting she just lie to her dad even though that would be the easiest solution. Julie’s relationship with her dad was something solid to hang on to in all of this craziness and he wanted that for her. He just also wanted her on stage next to him, losing themselves in the music and the roar of the crowd and slipping into that magical headspace where nothing else existed. It had only been a few weeks and he was itching for it like an addict.

“Maybe…” Julie drew out the word. “There might be one person.” 

Luke grinned.

They just might be back in business. 

And that’s how the band ended up standing in front of Julie’s house that Friday night, Ray, Carlos and Flynn gathered as well.

Ray was running one of his hands through his hair anxiously as he issued warning after warning to the girls. 

“Flynn, I talked to your mom and we both agree you two need to stick together. It goes without saying but  _ no drinking _ . Don’t even look at anyone else’s drinks. If you’re not home by midnight I’m calling the police.”

“Dad!” Julie groaned, burying her face in her hands. 

Luke thought she looked adorable when she was embarrassed. He also didn’t think that was a particularly helpful thing to share so he kept it to himself. 

“Don’t dad me,” Ray insisted. “I’m serious. And do you remember the most important rule?”

Julie sighed, exchanging a look with Flynn and Carlos who both smirked before answering in unison. 

“ _ Stay with your cousin _ .” 

“Ok, ok, you got it, you got it.” Ray accepted, holding his hands up in defeat. “Oh, here she comes.” 

Luke and the other boys all instantly swiveled their heads to the right eager to see the mysterious cousin Ray was entrusting the girls to. Julie had only said she was 21 and her dad trusted her. 

Having experienced Julie’s aunt several times now, Luke had a hard time imagining that her daughter could be anything but high strung and anti-fun. Still, she would serve her purpose of getting Julie to the gig without a dad shaped escort so Luke was grateful. And only mildly curious. 

That is until a beat up car squealed to a halt at the end of Julie’s driveway and he got his first look at the cousin in question. 

Her hair was similar to Julie’s but slightly more controlled as it curled around her face. Her features were also similar to Julie’s but highlighted by black eyeliner and sparkly eyeshadow. She was undoubtedly pretty. She was also  _ hot _ . She was what Reggie would call “curvaceous”. Her distressed band tee dipped low enough to leave little to the imagination though Luke very purposefully averted his eyes from that area as quickly as possible. 

“Whoa,” Reggie breathed, earning him a glare from Julie and an elbow to his side from Luke. 

“Really?” Alex rolled his eyes as Julie’s critical gaze slid over to Luke. 

“What?” He mouthed to her but she only shook her head and turned away a frown on her face. 

Luke wasn’t sure what that was about and he didn’t have long to wonder. 

Julie’s cousin leaned towards her open window and grinned. 

“Get in losers, we’re going shopping!” 

“Uh no, they need to go to The Basement please!” Alex called back despite the fact that she couldn’t hear him. 

Julie ignored him. Luke assumed that meant this was yet another reference he and the boys didn’t get and not an actual indication of a plan to skip the show and do some late night shopping. 

“Hi Josie,”Julie said, giving a small wave. 

“Watch them like a hawk, Josie!” Ray instructed. “Back by midnight, right?” 

“You got it.” 

Josie gave Ray a salute and he reluctantly hugged Julie goodbye and led Carlos back to the house. 

“I thought we had an audience’s faces to blow off?” Josie called to the girls. “You coming?” 

“I like her,” Reggie said.

“You like everyone,” Alex countered.

“It’s true,” Reggie smiled and nodded his head agreeably. “I’m a very friendly person.”

Luke shook his head before turning to Julie.

“We’ll meet you there,” He told her, surprised to see her shooting him a slightly nervous look out of the corner of her eye.

“You’re coming right now, right?” She whispered, clearly trying to move her mouth as little as possible so Josie wouldn’t notice. 

Luke’s face scrunched up in confusion for a moment. He knew quite a variety of Julie expressions by now and this was definitely a  _ worried _ Julie look. 

He hadn’t seen that type of expression associated with one of their performances since they sang Bright together at her school. It was like all she needed was one opportunity to prove to herself that she could do it and after that she’d never looked back. It was one of the things that he liked the most about her. Well...that was a long list and it was hard to rank but it was definitely up there. 

So why would she be worried right now? 

Then it hit him all at once. She was worried they wouldn’t show up. The scars of their stunt the night of the dance were still very much present on Julie even if she had forgiven them. And though they had eventually escaped from Caleb and made it to their show at The Orpheum she had still sat there waiting for them thinking the worst then too. 

No wonder she had developed a little anxiety over separating before performances.

He turned to Alex and Reggie.

“I’m going to take the long way, boys. See you there.” 

Julie caught on to what he meant immediately and sighed in relief. 

Flynn was already opening the door to the backseat when Julie reached out to stop her.

“Flynn, don’t you want to sit up front? I know you get carsick.”

“What are you talking about, I don’t get...oh...ohhhh, right carsick. Which I get. So gross just barfing everywhere. Yeah.” 

Josie shot Flynn a disgusted expression.

“If you barf I barf and nobody wants that, so hold it together. Now let’s go!” 

Flynn gave Julie a look which clearly indicated the other girl owed her before sliding into the front seat. 

Julie did the same in the back and Luke poofed in beside her.

“It’s cool,” Alex said flatly. “We didn’t want to come anyway.” 

“See you there!” Reggie added, waving good-naturedly as they pulled away.

Josie reached over and pushed the button to turn on the CD player and rock music instantly filled the car.

“Analog,” Flynn remarked. “I like it.” 

“It’s Nirvana!” Luke exclaimed excitedly. “I know them. Julie, I know them! Your cousin has great taste.” 

Julie reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, typing furiously into her notes app before holding it out for Luke to read.

“Everyone likes Nirvana, Luke.” 

Luke grinned. This was an interesting development in their interesting little relationship.

“Julie Molina...are you jealous?” 

She sputtered for a moment her mouth opening and shutting on what he expected would be a denial before she realized she had to stay quiet or risk looking crazy in front of her cousin. 

She began typing furiously into her phone again instead. Her fingers flying over the screen at a speed Luke’s eyes could barely keep up with. 

He laughed and reached over, his hand closing over hers halting her fingers’ frantic movements. 

She stilled instantly and looked up at him, big eyes wide and brave but not unaffected. 

Take that, Nick. 

“It looks good on you.” He told her, feeling one of those dorky, “just can’t help it when Julie is around” smiles stretch across his face as he curled his hand a little more firmly around hers. His fingers naturally opened to make room for her small ones which slipped in between easily.

Julie rolled her eyes, clearly not ready to admit defeat. 

But she didn’t pull away and even allowed him to pull their linked hands into his lap. 

And as far as Luke was concerned that made the night a victory and they hadn’t even made it on stage yet. 


	6. My life won’t be the same

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did it! 6 days in a row let’s go! I am so proud of myself it’s ridiculous. Thank you so much for all of your comments they genuinely keep me writing when I’m stuck. Keep it up and I’ll do my best to make it a full week of updates.
> 
> Fun fact, I’m writing this whole story on a google docs app on my phone. So I’m just taking breaks at work and furiously typing with two thumbs. 😂
> 
> Things to look forward to in this chapter:
> 
> -Josie taking no crap from anyone 
> 
> -Luke mystifying Julie with the dichotomy of his personality lol 
> 
> -More of my song lyrics! I’m excited to see what you think. It was fun trying to do what the show does and come up with the perfect song for that point in the story.

The Basement turned out to be...literally a basement. 

The entrance was surprisingly nondescript, little more than a break in the alley wall and a few steps leading down. A pair of small neon signs reading “The Basement” and “live music” was the only indication that they had found the right place.

Julie wasn’t nervous about performing, these days the stage was the one place she felt sure of herself if she was being honest. In fact she was feeling more alert than she had in weeks, practically vibrating with anticipation of what was to come. 

She had put off Nick’s attempts to schedule further study sessions the past few days explaining that she needed to rehearse. He had met her answer with a frown but had done nothing further to make her feel uncomfortable. She was starting to think she had imagined it. She felt bad for putting him off when she knew he was struggling to keep his grades up but she also knew the uninterrupted practice sessions with the band had paid off. 

She and Luke had finished a new song and she couldn’t wait to try it out on a live audience.

So, no, she wasn’t nervous about performing. What she was a little nervous about was performing  _ here _ . If the people lined up outside were any indication the crowd was much older and cooler than any she’d performed for so far. The sheer amount of leather jackets she counted as they approached the entrance was staggering. Reggie would like that. 

Julie suddenly felt very young and not just a little intimidated.

She found herself wishing that Luke was visible and she hadn’t had to release his hand as they exited the car so she wouldn’t look crazy holding hands with thin air. 

As if he read her mind, Julie felt Luke’s hand settle gently on her lower back, guiding her forward and reminding her he was there. 

Julie shot him a thankful look which he returned with an encouraging nod. His expression was positively glowing with excitement. No nerves there then. 

“Stay close, ladies,” Josie ordered her and Flynn, snapping her fingers for emphasis. “Keep up!”

Julie was grateful for her cousin who was leading the way, unapologetically pushing past the gathered line despite their protests.

When they reached the man standing in front of the door he eyed Julie and Flynn skeptically.

“Little late for you ladies isn’t it?” 

“She’s in the band,” Josie informed him, jerking her thumb in Julie’s direction. “And she’s the roadie.” 

She pointed at Flynn next. 

“And what does that make you?” The guy asked, eyes dropping to Josie’s low cut shirt, a smile sliding onto his face that made Julie want to gag.

She felt Luke tense beside her despite the fact that he couldn’t exactly tell the guy to back off under the circumstances. 

Josie for her part was unphased. 

“I guess that makes me the groupie,” She answered, smiling before suddenly reaching out to jab a finger directly into the guy’s forehead. “Keep those eyes up, buddy. Come on girls.” 

Julie, Flynn and Luke followed Josie down the stairs and into the venue, impressed grins adorning all of their faces.

Luke made sure to pass close enough to bump shoulders with the confused creep at the door. 

“ _ That  _ was epic,” Flynn exclaimed excitedly. “Did you see his face?” 

“Lesson number 1, ladies,” Josie said. “Repeat after me. Never give them an inch.”

She stared at them expectantly.

Julie and Flynn exchanged a questioning look before Julie shrugged and they did as they were told.

“ _ Never give them an inch. _ ” They echoed in unison. 

Josie nodded, evidently satisfied. 

“Now let’s find whoever’s in charge.”

While Josie scanned the area for a likely candidate, Julie took her surroundings in properly for the first time. 

It was a much smaller venue than she’d been expecting, though the name really should have given it away. The stairs emptied almost directly on top of the bar which stretched in a “c” shape along most of a wall. Past the bar she could make out the stage which was a relatively small, elevated platform. The rest of the available space was already teeming with people standing around, nursing drinks in plastic cups. There were no tables and chairs or even stools at the bar. This place was clearly all about the music and tonight it would be all about  _ their  _ music.

Julie felt a rush of excitement flow through her. She was so thankful she finally had managed to bank some energy over the last few days. She wanted tonight to be perfect.

Alex and Reggie poofed in next to them right as Josie was practically dragging a frazzled looking woman over to Julie. 

“You’re Julie?” She asked.

“That’s me,” Julie answered, hoping that reveal wasn’t a disappointment. 

“And where’s the rest of the band?” The woman asked, glancing hopefully around the general area.

“Uh, right in here,” Flynn held up her backpack which she had been clutching to her chest. “Mysterious hologram projector, check.” 

The woman sighed.

“I was hoping the whole hologram thing was more of a gimmick than a technological reality. We don’t have a fancy set up here…”

Josie cut her off.

“Just point this one to the nearest outlet and we’re good, right?” She pointed at Flynn and waited for confirmation which she got in the form of a vigorous nod. “Great. Let’s go. I promised I’d have them home before they turn into pumpkins so we need to start on time.” 

“She is so…” Alex started. 

“Hot?” Reggie supplied.

“ _ Cool,  _ Reg. I was going to say  _ cool _ .” Alex rolled his eyes. “A little help, Luke?”

“Yeah, she’s cool,” Luke agreed, and Julie felt herself wilt slightly despite her best intentions to be nothing but confident and unaffected for the rest of the night. 

She and Josie had always been close but being more than 5 years younger had always left Julie feeling like she was playing catch up. Whether it was developing physically, learning to do makeup or life experiences in general Josie was always going to get there first. That was just the way it was. She had mostly gotten over that bothering her but the last thing Julie wanted was for Luke to have a direct comparison to someone a lot like her but  _ better _ . 

“Runs in the family,” He whispered in her ear, cutting off her negative thoughts and causing Julie to shudder slightly at the feel of his breath on her ear. 

Ok, he was smooth when he wanted to be, she would give him that. How could he veer so wildly from awkward and shy to confident and flirtatious? 

Julie gave herself a little shake and allowed herself only a small smile in response to his comment.

Luke’s ability to be a total dork  _ and  _ a rock god was a mystery for another time. They were here for a reason. 

The group made its way toward the other end of the room where the stage waited. The woman disappeared for a moment before returning with a small folding table and an extension cord and Flynn busied herself setting up their “projector”. 

When she was finished she gave Julie a thumbs up.

Julie nodded at the woman who stepped to the microphone on the stage, tapping it a few times to gain the attention of the people standing around.

“Give it up for Julie and the Phantoms!” 

Julie took one last deep breath to steady herself before scaling the two steps up to the stage and taking her place at the keyboard waiting for her. 

“I’m Julie,” She said, leaning into the mic. “And this is Edge of Great.”

Flynn flicked the switch on the projector and Julie let the first few notes ring out, a sense of calm and belonging rushing over her. By the time the guys had poofed in and Julie and The Phantoms were performing in full swing the audience was already eating out of their hands. 

As they ran through their set list, Julie could hardly believe she’d been nervous that these people wouldn’t like their music. The energy in the intimate space was electrifying in a way their previous performances hadn’t been and she knew the boys could feel it too. 

There was barely room for the audience to move at all without bumping into each other yet she hardly spotted a single person that was actually standing still. Instead they seemed to have accepted that they were no longer individuals but part of one collective, ebbing and flowing like a wave as the music rushed over them.

She exchanged a look with Luke and saw the same truth reflected in his eyes. 

They didn’t want this to end. 

“Ok, we’re going to take a quick break and then we’ll be back for our final song,” Julie announced as the guys flickered out of sight for everyone but her. 

Flynn and Josie rushed up to the stage, her cousin shoving a bottle of water into Julie’s hands which she accepted gratefully. 

“Drink up, my mom will kill me if she hears I let you dehydrate,” Josie ordered, watching closely as Julie obediently sipped from the bottle.

“That was amazing!” Flynn said a little wistfully. “I can’t imagine what it’s like to have that many people watching you absolutely kill it.” 

Julie frowned.

It occurred to her for the first time that Flynn might feel left out after the whirlwind changes in her life. It wasn’t that she thought she was  _ jealous  _ but the girls were used to being able to share in all of their, admittedly limited, triumphs. 

It wasn’t an entirely comfortable feeling to be up on the stage knowing Flynn was down in the audience. Especially when she had been reduced to flipping a switch on a pretend projector. 

“Have her check the back compartment in her backpack.”

Julie hadn’t even noticed Reggie sidling up to them but there he was, nodding in the direction of Flynn’s bag. 

Julie raised an eyebrow at the ghostly bassist but relayed his instructions to Flynn, trying not to let on that they weren’t her own. 

Flynn unzipped the back compartment and pulled out the tambourine Julie had used in their coffee shop performance. 

“Does this mean…”

Julie grinned. 

“Get up here.”

Flynn squealed with delight and practically pushed Josie out of the way to clamber onto the stage. She pulled Julie into a hug, bouncing a little as she wrapped her arms around her shoulders.

Julie mouthed thank you as subtlety as she could in Reggie’s direction. 

He shrugged and smiled.

“She knows all your deep dish,” He shrugged. “We couldn’t do it without her.” 

“Thank you, thank you!” Flynn was gushing in her ear and Julie made sure to whisper back that she should thank Reggie before she pulled away. 

Flynn grinned and did a little bow as a gesture of thanks in completely the wrong direction earning a laugh from all three of the guys. 

Julie took her shoulders and forcibly turned her to the left at which point Flynn shrugged and repeated the gesture. 

“Reggie is a gentleman, tell your friends,” Reggie joked, earning a moan from Alex.

“Ok, let’s do this already,” Luke said, sharing an affectionate glance with Julie. “Let’s take them out on the new one.” 

Julie nodded and reached for the microphone. 

“We have one more song for you. You’ve been an amazing crowd and we’ve been Julie and The Phantoms. Tell your friends! This last one is new and it’s called, “Won’t Be the Same”. Thank you!” 

Luke strummed the first chords and Julie let the music wash over her before easing into the first lines of the song. 

_ I can admit, I was as down as I could go  _

_ They said it was within me  _

_ But I couldn’t see me  _

_ Hid my eyes from the glow  _

The momentum of the song built slowly as Luke came in with his part of the verse.

_ I was right on the border  _

_ Did it all out of order  _

_ But we don’t need to look for the reason _

_ Cause I know _

There was a pause in the music just enough to let the audience lean in with anticipation and then the music crashed back in with gusto for the chorus.

_ You came out of nowhere  _

_ You proved that you’ll be there  _

_ And my life won’t be the same  _

_ I needed a rescue _

_ Now I want to protect you  _

_ Cause I’m so glad you came  _

_ Change can be scary  _

_ But it’ll only prepare me  _

_ I know we can keep on, our dream is still strong  _

_ And my life won’t be the same _

Luke leaned in sharing her mic and her space and it became hard to remember that when they had written this song she had definitely had three ghosts in mind, not just one. She truly was unbelievably grateful for the ways they had all changed her, an instant family she could hardly believe she had ever lived without. It was just hard to think of anyone but Luke when he became  _ this _ , this force, this  _ fire  _ that threatened to burn her up from the inside. 

Forcing herself to break eye contact she took in the rest of the scene in an instant. Alex was banging out a searing rhythm, Reggie and Flynn were dancing around each other on the corner of the stage, Josie was twisting her hips to the melody front and center in the front row. 

Julie was hit with a rush of emotion as she realized not for the first time in the last few weeks just how lucky she was.

She didn’t have the luxury of lingering on that thought though, because Luke was already circling back into her personal space so they could sing the final bridge together. 

His voice softened as most of the music fell away leaving only his slow strumming. 

_ All the reckless fights  _

She came in next 

_ All the stage light nights  _

Then their voices joined, soaring and twisting together. 

_ Finding ourselves in a song we wrote  _

_ Along the way  _

_ So how could anything… _

_ Anything… _

_ Anything be the same? _

Luke took the first “anything” and Julie took the second. On the third Reggie and Alex joined them and all four hit a building harmony and the crowd went wild as they dove into the final chorus. 

_ You came out of nowhere  _

_ You proved that you’ll be there  _

_ And my life won’t be the same  _

_ I needed a rescue _

_ Now I want to protect you  _

_ Cause I’m so glad you came  _

_ Change can be scary  _

_ But it’ll only prepare me  _

_ I know we can keep on, our dream is still strong  _

_ And my life won’t be the same _

The final notes of the song rang out and applause and cheers erupted.

Julie and Flynn took a bow and managed to share one knowing grin with the boys before they poofed out. 

Julie couldn’t believe she had managed to go so long without it now that she knew how good this felt. The fact that she had been so tired and generally not herself lately only made the way she felt right now even more amazing. Maybe this was all she had been missing. Maybe she could put all that exhaustion behind her.

Then she spotted a familiar face in the back of the crowd and that sense of unease she had carried with her for the last few weeks came rushing back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ummmm...so cliffhanger! Oops lol.


	7. The rules of lurking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 7 of updating in a row. We did it folks. 
> 
> This is the first chapter not from either Luke or Julie’s point of view. Given the cliffhanger from last time I doubt many of you will be surprised who is featured in this chapter. I hope you enjoy the way I did it. 
> 
> Please let me know your thoughts! I got a little lost writing this one but I think it got there in the end. 
> 
> You get a few answers this chapter...but not too many because it’s still early in the “season”. Sorry lol!
> 
> Enjoy!

Caleb adjusted the collar of his shirt for quite possibly the hundredth time since he’d left this insipid child’s house. He’d done the best he could with what was available in this Nick’s wardrobe but it was woefully lacking of anything that could make a real statement. He was a little embarrassed to be seen in his current ensemble despite the fact that no one would know it was him wearing it. 

Still. 

He had to put in an appearance at these pathetic children’s little gig if he wanted to get back on track with his plan. And he very much wanted that. 

He approached the entrance with purpose, paying no mind to the lifer stationed there until he was placing a hand on Caleb’s borrowed shoulder and pushing him back with force. 

“Uh, uh, uh, kid,” He said in a patronizing tone. “I don’t think so. Try again in 5 years.”

Caleb felt his signature smirk stretch across Nick’s face, hoping it had the same effect it usually did in his own form. He’d missed this. How kind of this lifer to provide a little outlet for him to air out some of his frustrations before having to play nice with Julie and her pet ghosts. 

“Why don’t you take another look,” Caleb stepped forward to look the man directly in the eye, letting them flicker to purple smoke. 

The man stumbled back. 

“What the hell?” He asked, fear creeping into his voice. 

“Careful there,” Caleb reached out and placed a steadying hand on the lifer’s shoulder, focusing on drawing out his energy until his eyes rolled back and he collapsed. 

Caleb turned to the line of people and called out in a scared Nick’s voice, “He passed out! Help!” 

Several people rushed forward to check on the man and Caleb took advantage of the chaos to calmly proceed down the stairs and inside. 

He hadn’t taken too much, the man would wake up with a hell of a headache and most likely a fear of high school brats in an hour or two. 

Still it had been nice to top off after a few days away from his main target. 

The band was already playing as he made his way inside and Caleb wasn’t impressed. He wrinkled his nose in disgust as he took in his surroundings, sidestepping a suspicious looking puddle near the bar. 

This was what his club had been turned down in favor of? 

This was just more evidence that the boys themselves were fools. It had become increasingly obvious that the only one with anything special about her was their Julie. And he intended to take full advantage of what  _ she  _ had to offer.

He lingered in the back of the crowd as the band performed their final song and the boys phased out of the venue. 

All the better. All evidence pointed to the three young ghosts being dumber than a box of rocks and none of them seemed to suspect him so far. Still they were a complication he didn’t need for his purpose tonight. 

They clearly cared about her, particularly Luke whose constant hovering presence made it clear he saw this Nick as some sort of rival. How adorably pedestrian of them. 

Suddenly Julie’s eyes landed on him and her happy expression sagged a bit. Caleb noticed this development with vague interest. Perhaps he had been a little too obvious with his frustration at her refusal to “study” with him this week. He needed to up his game if he intended to truly power up tonight courtesy of Miss Julie. 

He forced his face into his best approximation of the goofy smile a besotted teenager would wear and raised one hand in a half wave. 

Julie returned his smile, even if it was obviously a bit forced. He could work with that. 

Pushing his way towards the stage, Caleb waited with a forced patient expression as Julie shared hugs with her friend and another young woman he didn’t recognize. Finally she turned to him.

“Nick, what are you doing here?” 

Caleb considered how to play this. When he had chosen this Nick idiot as a host he had assumed the flowers he held meant that he and Julie had some kind of significant relationship. Her reaction to him, friendly yet reserved, had soon put that to rest. 

His attempts to rely on the girl’s feelings for his host had gotten him almost nowhere. His successful strategy had turned out to be implying heavily that he was in trouble and needed help. And really was it any surprise that a girl who surrounded herself with unanchored ghosts with unfinished business had a savior complex? 

Her need to make others happy would be her undoing. 

Her selflessness was sweet. He would shamelessly take advantage of it of course, but it was still sweet.

But back to the situation at hand. He decided to lay it on thick with the sad, kicked puppy routine. 

“I always come to your gigs, Julie,” He let his expression fall into one riddled with doubt. “Do you not want me to? I’m sorry if I’ve been around too much. You don’t have to help me study anymore if I’m making you uncomfortable.”

Julie’s face instantly took on a guilt ridden look before morphing into a soft smile.

“No, Nick, I’m sorry if it came off like I didn’t want you here. I was just surprised because we barely got in and I was performing. I appreciate your support.”

Caleb fought down the smug grin he wanted to respond with. This really was too easy.

“I’m your number one fan, Julie,” Caleb said instead. 

That was true enough. She was the key to achieving so many of his goals. 

“And I’m sorry if I’ve come off...I don’t know, pushy or something. Things have just been kind of rough at home...and with Carrie and my grades, it’s a lot.”

The home life problems were entirely fabricated. Young Nick’s parents were almost nauseatingly affectionate with each other and their only real downside as a family seemed to be that they were such morons they hadn’t realized their son had been possessed by a jazz age ghost. But no one’s entirely perfect. 

Still, it seemed to do the trick. Julie’s face relaxed into one of genuine sympathy and she placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m always here for you, Nick. You know that.” 

There it was. Now to see if luck was truly with him tonight. 

“Thanks, Julie,” he said, enthusing his voice with gratitude. 

Before she could respond he reached out and pulled the girl into a hug. 

She tensed for a moment but then relaxed and returned the gesture.

Caleb instantly opened the connection between them and began taking what he wanted, that delicious soul energy that washed over him like the most intoxicating wine he’d ever had before he died. 

Taking a deep breath, Caleb focused on slowing the drain. It was easy to get carried away when Julie’s well was so deep and her power so potent but he had to be patient. He could suck her dry right now but that wasn’t wise. There were too many witnesses and besides her value as a source of soul energy was only one small part of his plan. She was more useful to him alive. 

For now.

Caleb pulled back from the hug, taking note of the slightly dazed expression on Julie’s face. For a moment he worried he’d taken too much but then she seemed to give herself a shake and manage a small smile. 

“So I’ll see you at school on Monday?” 

He nodded and gave a little wave to the other girl who he knew would expect to be acknowledged before beating a hasty retreat out of the club. 

Luckily he knew it would be perfectly in character for his host to be flustered by a hug from the girl and make a quick exit. It saved him from having to pretend to want to hold up a conversation now that he had what he came for. 

Caleb made his way further down the alley managing to avoid most of the people streaming out of the bar who were headed in the opposite direction toward the main strip. It was a pain in the ass to have to walk at all. What he wouldn’t give to be able to phase out and spend the rest of the evening enjoying the sights and sounds of his club but that would come soon enough. He wished he could jump in and out of the boy as needed but then he would wake up with no memory of the time he had been possessed. 

Caleb had access to all of this Nick’s memories and while there wasn’t  _ much  _ going on up there his idiot parents would probably still put him in a hospital if he told them he had lost huge chunks of time. That wouldn’t do at all. 

“Boss!” 

A voice hissed the word from the shadows to his right and Caleb jumped, clutching his chest and swearing the way only a man on his 13th decade of existence could. 

“What have I told you about lurking, Dante?” He demanded, rounding on his now revealed associate. 

“Leave it to those with more understanding of the art form.” Dante repeated sheepishly. “And a cape.” 

“That’s right. Now what is it? I’ve had a long night and this disgusting teenage body will be missed by its parents before long.” 

“We were just wondering if you would be coming back to the club soon,” Dante started, clearly nervous to have been the one elected to track Caleb down and ask. “We’ve been getting less lifer visitors and some of the crew is getting nervous that you’re planning on cutting us off.”

Caleb took a step into Dante’s space realizing belatedly that his current stature was less intimidating than normal. It seemed to do the trick for Dante though who visibly flinched. 

“Now, has anyone been cut off? Am I not taking care of my charges as I always do?” 

Dante shook his head then switched to a nod seemingly unsure of which question to answer. 

“No, boss everyone’s good but after what happened with the new recruits and now Willie…” 

“What about Willie?” 

Caleb cut him off and Dante sputtered for a moment before regaining his ability to speak.

“Well, he hasn’t turned up at the club since you...since  _ we _ lost the new recruits. He’s openly defying you and people are getting nervous.”

Caleb struggled to contain his anger. It certainly didn’t take long for people to forget who was in charge. Had he really spent the last 80 years building an empire so he could be questioned by the likes of Dante?

“Willie,” He remarked in an eerily calm voice. “Remains at large because I  _ allow  _ him to do so. He will suffer the consequences of his actions when it is convenient for me to punish him without derailing my larger plans. Is that understood?” 

Dante nodded jerkily.

“Yes boss! It’s just...why not drain the girl and come home? We could use her juice to live like kings for another 50 years!”

Caleb rolled his eyes, one hand coming up to massage his host’s forehead.

“I am surrounded by idiots with no flair for the dramatic. The girl is powerful yes and that power will be put to good use. But she is also the key to revenge on that band of hers and the perfect way to make sure no one ever defies me again. Now why would I give that up for the sake of...expediency?” 

Dante’s brow furrowed like he wasn’t sure what that word meant. Caleb suspected he didn’t. He was lucky he was pretty. 

“Go back to the club, Dante. Tell everyone things are going to plan and they are to await further instructions.”

Dante nodded vigorously, already backing away, clearly eager to escape his boss’s presence.

“Oh and Dante?” Caleb called after him. 

“Yeah, boss?”

“If you see Willie...don’t approach him for now. But I want to know everyone he speaks to. Is that understood?”

“Understood!” Dante answered and phased out in the same breath leaving Caleb to once again adjust the collar on his shirt and proceed down the alley.

“Dante got the dramatic exit,” He muttered to himself. “Maybe a  _ little  _ expediency is called for.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Caleb needs his dramatic entrances and exits.


	8. A little bit closer to you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here we go again. Day 8 of continuous updates. This one was a struggle, I’m not going to lie. I meant to jump right into the next plot point I had planned but then Luke was just refusing to move forward without some Julie time and...things got a little weird lol.
> 
> Please let me know what you think cause I don’t even know anymore. 
> 
> The lyrics in this chapter ARE NOT by me. The song is real and it’s “Closer to you” by The Wallflowers. I’ll try to add it somewhere. It came out in 2002 so post Luke dying but they were around in at least 96 so they wouldn’t sound too crazy to him in terms of style.

Luke leaned against the alley wall as people streamed past him on their way out of the bar. A grin he couldn’t control on his face, he listened in as many of them commented on how much they had liked the performance. 

“You’re too kind! No, really, stop it, I’m blushing!” 

He called out to them knowing they wouldn’t hear but his mood was too good to care. 

Would it have been nice to be able to stick around on stage and bask in the glory of their successful performance a little longer? Sure. But he had felt the energy in there. He knew they had that audience in the palm of their hand from start to finish. 

Besides if he was being truly honest, which he wouldn’t be if someone asked him, there was only one face he currently wanted to see approval reflected on. 

He had it bad. 

Luke jammed his hands in his pockets in an effort to contain some of his nervous energy. He felt like if he didn’t he might accidentally summon his guitar and start audibly jamming out right here in the alley. That’s how much every inch of him was practically singing with leftover endorphins at the moment. 

He wasn’t sure exactly how a ghost could still be influenced by hormones but if the way he still felt entirely controlled by them in several areas of his life was any indication it was a thing. 

He kept a close eye on the exit watching for Julie and the other girls, his eyes flicking over others quickly searching only for familiar faces. Then he saw one but it wasn’t one of the three he was looking for.

Was that... _ Nick _ ?

He only got a quick glimpse. The guy in question exited the bar at a brisk pace, turning away from the direction most of the people were headed and walking further into the darkness of the alley. Still, Luke was pretty sure of what he’d seen and what he’d seen had been that kid who couldn’t take a hint. 

Unless...had Julie invited him? 

He knew they were friends so it wasn’t entirely out of the question. He also knew it was stupid to be jealous. Sure he and Julie hadn’t actually talked about it but they were...they were  _ something _ , right? 

_ Right _ ? 

Luke only had a moment to let a sudden wave of self doubt wash over him before he spotted the girls heading his way. 

Julie was sagging a little, her steps faltering slightly as she kept pace with Flynn and Josie. 

Luke frowned. 

What was that about? Was her recent exhaustion catching up with her again?

But then she caught sight of him and a smile so radiant he was half tempted to cover his eyes broke out on her face. In that moment everything from his insecurities to his worry faded away and all he could think was... _ wow _ .

He had felt alternately cursed and incredibly lucky since he and the boys had first poofed into the studio but nothing ended that debate as much as being the target of a smile like that from a girl like Julie. 

When they reached him Flynn and Josie kept going, obviously, but Julie came to a halt, reaching out and grabbing for his hand seemingly without a second thought. 

Luke’s first thought was, “This is nice.”

His second was, “This isn’t good.” 

By this point both Josie and Flynn had stopped and were looking back at Julie with looks varying from confusion for Josie to panic for Flynn. 

Julie’s brain finally seemed to catch up with her body’s actions because she dropped his hand. But if he hoped she was going to come up with some brilliant excuse for what she’d just done he was about to be disappointed.

Instead she started giggling uncontrollably, one hand coming up in an effort to cover her mouth.

“Julie?” Josie cocked her head at her younger cousin with an examining, slightly judging look. “Anything you would like to share with the class?”

Julie lowered the hand that was covering her mouth seemingly about to answer when another round of giggles burst out of her clearly against her will. 

She glanced up at him as if asking for help and he did the only thing he could think to do in the moment. 

He reached over and pinched her arm.

“Ouch! I mean, uh, wow we really killed it in there huh?” 

Josie did not seem convinced by Julie’s pivot but at least the younger girl had stopped giggling. 

“Uh, but honestly I feel kind of weird. Tired. Weird. Um, so we should probably get home before Dad freaks out. More than he probably is. Um. Yeah.” 

Flynn took matters into her own hands, approaching Julie and looping one of her arms through one of Julie’s.

“You’ve been playing one song gigs so far, no wonder you’re tired after playing a whole set.”

Josie examined the girls for another moment before shrugging and joining them, wrapping an arm around Julie’s shoulders on the opposite side from Flynn. 

“I guess intense exhaustion mixed with a leftover surge of adrenaline could explain…” She paused as she tilted her head to look down at a still jumpy Julie. “ _ This _ .” 

She shook her head. 

“Come on girls, let’s get you home.”

Luke trailed after them as they made their way back to where Josie’s car was parked. Julie occasionally turned her head to check that he was still there and he offered her an encouraging smile each time. 

He could easily poof out and wait for her back at her house. It might even be the more logical choice given that in her current state she seemed to be finding it difficult not to give away his presence. 

But he couldn’t talk to her about it first and something about the thought of her glancing back only to find him not there tugged too heavily at his heart. 

Maybe Alex really wasn’t the emotional one. He was starting to think he was the biggest sap of all time. 

Eventually they all found themselves back in Josie’s car, nobody feeling the need to talk on the drive. There was a sense of giddy satisfaction still radiating off of Julie though despite the fact that she was yawning approximately every ten seconds. 

At some point Josie had switched out the Nirvana cd for something more laid back. Luke didn’t recognize the band but he was pretty sure they weren’t new. The song sounded like it wouldn’t have been out of place playing on the radio back when he was alive. And when listening to the radio was a thing people still did. Julie had informed him it was all about streaming now. Whatever that meant.

The song switched to a new one with a slow, moody melody that had Luke nodding his head along gently. 

_ How soft a whisper can get _

_ When you're walking through a crowded space _

_ I hear every word being said _

_ And I remember that everyday _

_ I get a little bit closer to you _

Luke glanced over at Julie.

Her hand was resting on the empty seat between them and the urge to reach over and wrap it in his was overwhelming. He clenched his hand on his leg instead. Given the incident in the alley and the fact that Josie was glancing at the backseat in her rear view mirror periodically he didn’t think it was the best idea to push their luck. 

He must have been a little obvious because Julie shot him an affectionate look, clearly trying to keep another round of giggles from bursting out of her. Luckily this was a battle she won this time around, collecting herself and simply using her eyes to point down at her hand. 

Luke followed her lead and looked down only to see her wiggling her pinky. 

He couldn’t help it, he laughed which only seemed to drive her to wiggle it more insistently. 

Luke grinned and carefully linked his pinky with hers, both of their hands resting on the seat but not entwined enough that it would raise any suspicions under Josie’s increased scrutiny. 

By the time he looked back up, Julie was looking out the window, her forehead resting gently against the glass. She was smiling though. 

Yeah. He was in trouble.

They dropped Flynn off first and once she had said her goodbyes Josie suggested that Julie move to the front seat. 

Julie reluctantly agreed, unlinking their pinkies and shooting Luke an apologetic look. 

The two girls didn’t talk again until Josie had pulled up outside of Julie’s house, turning to face her younger cousin and fixing her with a look that didn’t bode well for the conversation to come in Luke’s opinion. 

“Ok, Jules. Spill.”

“Huh?” Julie seemed taken off guard by the sudden attack of attention. 

“How did you pull off that band of yours tonight because it sure wasn’t that glorified flashlight you have Flynn hauling around.”

Julie let out one aborted giggle earning her disbelieving looks from both Josie and Luke.

“Sorry.” She had regained control. “It’s a projector.”

“It’s a  _ toy _ ,” Josie countered. “I’m pretty sure my Mom got you that like 5 years ago.”

“I made adjustments?” Julie said it like it was a question and Luke groaned. 

“You didn’t even ask for the WiFi password, kid,” Josie pointed out. 

“Um...it’s got auto...automatic internet seeking capabilities.” Julie tried. 

“So you’re an engineer and a hacker now? Color me impressed.” 

Julie shot Luke a panicked glance and he waved his hands to indicate she needed to say something,  _ anything _ but instead she took it as a signal to flee. 

“Well, thanks so much for chaperoning tonight, seriously you have no idea how much I appreciate it. It’s super late so I’ll just...go.” 

And with that Julie was practically spilling out of the car, stumbling in her rush to escape.

If Luke hadn’t poofed out to offer her invisible support by propping her up she probably would have face planted right on her driveway.

For her part Josie just shook her head.

“You know you can tell me anything, right? I’ll be here when you’re ready, Jules.” 

Julie nodded and waved enthusiastically as her cousin finally drove off leaving her to descend back into giggles as she sank further back against Luke. 

“Well, I think that went well, don’t you?” She asked through a yawn as she got herself under control again. 

Luke couldn’t help but laugh as he turned her gently so he could see her face. 

“Why do I feel like I’m getting a taste of what it would have been like to try to sneak you home drunk without getting in trouble?” 

Julie frowned, her eyebrows pulling down to meet adorably. 

“You died when you were 17. Why would you have ever had to sneak around with drunk people?” 

Luke smiled down at her affectionately, one hand coming up to brush an errant strand of hair away from her face. 

“I love that you’re innocent enough to ask that.” 

Julie seemed offended by that comment.

“I’m not  _ that  _ innocent.”

The power of her statement was undercut when she yawned yet again her nose scrunching up in the process.

“Ok, ok, let’s get you to bed, Rockstar.” 

He put his hand on her lower back and guided her up to the front door before following her inside.

Ray was waiting up in the living room, of course. 

“There she is! How was it?”

“It was great!” Julie practically shouted forgetting to regulate her volume in her excitement only to be shh’d by both Luke and her dad. 

“Sorry, um, just it was so good. And the crowd was good and we were good and the whole thing was...good.”

Ok, Luke really was starting to worry that Ray would think she was drunk at this point. 

“Julie...talk less, talk less.” He advised.

Luckily Ray didn’t seem to be too phased by Julie’s rambling. 

“Well, I’m glad it was so good.” He chuckled. “Now you better get to bed. I’m making breakfast tomorrow. Pancakes.” 

“Ok, thanks, Dad.” 

Luke followed Julie up the stairs and into her room. He knew this was probably the point where he should say goodnight and poof out. The guys were likely wondering where he was and he had probably overstayed his welcome already. 

But his feet seemed glued to her floor. He just didn’t want this night to end. Not yet. 

Luckily Julie seemed to feel the same. 

“I’m going to go change. Will you...stay?” 

Luke sighed in relief then immediately tried to school his face into a neutral expression. He suspected he failed.

“Yeah, sure.” 

He took a seat on her bed while she grabbed a few items of clothing and disappeared into the hall heading for the bathroom. 

She was back in seemingly record time, dressed in a baggy T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, her glasses resting on her nose. 

Luke stood not sure if he was staying for a conversation or  _ staying  _ staying. Should he sit on the floor or...

She closed the door behind her, turned off her light and climbed into her bed without hesitation. 

“Are you coming?” 

Luke swallowed hard. Feeling his technically nonexistent heartbeat kick into high gear. 

“Uh, yeah. You sure?”

She nodded and Luke kicked off his shoes before climbing onto the other side of the bed. He laid on top of the blanket she was under but they were still only inches from each other. Her big eyes seemingly bigger than ever and staring into his soul. 

Well, anyone looking at him at this point was staring directly  _ at  _ his soul but that wasn’t the point. 

This was too intense.

Luke cleared his throat and rolled over onto his back to give himself a little breather. 

“Uh, Julie?” He searched his mind for a safe topic, any topic. 

“Yeah?” She replied, voice dangerously soft. 

“Um, that song Josie was playing on the way home...closer something? Do you know what it was?” 

There was a moment of silence and Luke wondered if he’d said the wrong thing.

Then Julie answered. “I think it’s by The Wallflowers. Let me look it up.” 

She reached over for her phone the gentle glow of the screen lighting up her face. 

“Yeah, here look.” She held the phone out for him to see. “Closer to you. It was on one of their albums and their greatest hits. It’s a good one.”

Luke examined the screen for a few seconds. 

The original listing for the song was  _ Closer 2 U  _ but on the greatest hits track list it had been changed to the more traditional  _ Closer to You _ . 

“Why was it originally spelled all cutesy then normal?” He wondered aloud.

Julie let out one final tired giggle, something about her voice clueing Luke into the fact she was on the edge of sleep. 

“I don’t know. They probably thought better of it. Don’t you think “Edge of Great” Luke would make a few adjustments if he could go back to the time of “My Name is Luke“ Luke?” 

He chuckled. She had a point.

“Julie?”

“Yeah?”

“Can we listen to the song again?” 

She pressed something on her phone and suddenly the soft tones of the song drifted through the room. He marveled again at the fact that all of the music ever created was literally at Julie’s fingertips all the time. He would have killed for that back when he was alive. 

He turned his head ready to point this out to her but she was already asleep, her face relaxed and free of any of the worries he so often saw there. 

Luke reached over and gently removed her glasses, leaning over to place them on her nightstand. 

He eased himself back down onto his side, careful not to disturb the girl beside him. 

Julie had one thing right. 

Tonight had been  _ good.  _

He closed his eyes and tried to get back to that peaceful emptiness he’d found with Julie in the garage a few nights ago, letting the song wash over him. 

_ You know there's nowhere else _

_ I've wanted to be _

_ Than be there when you needed me _

_ I'm sorry too _

_ But don't give up on me _

_ And just remember that when you were asleep _

_ I got a little bit closer to you _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song featured in this chapter:
> 
> https://youtu.be/RvwBCstZuTc


	9. Blow their pants off

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m baaaaaack. 
> 
> Little bit of a different direction, we’re moving the plot forward and poor Julie is starting to buckle under the pressure a little bit.
> 
> I wanted to show that Caleb’s energy sucking is just one part of her issues and honestly is a metaphor for the situation a lot of people, especially young women, find themselves in. Putting so much pressure on yourself and trying to please everyone else first...that’s pretty draining. Now add a literal soul sucker who is actually draining your energy and it’s a recipe for disaster. 
> 
> We’re coming up on Reggie focused plot points and I can’t convey how excited I am. I love him so much and he’s the only one who didn’t get much in the way of an independent storyline in season 1. 
> 
> Ok, as always please, please comment and let me know your thoughts. Also, suggest what you think Reggie’s last name should be because if they ever told us I missed it.

A few days after their performance at The Basement things had settled back into a routine for Julie. School. Studying with Nick. Band practice. Writing with Luke.

She was definitely still dragging and she was starting to think that this slightly lackluster energy level was going to be her new normal. 

But it was manageable. If she just kept herself to a strict schedule she could get everything done and it’s not like anyone ever said chasing your dream would be easy. She knew Luke was worried about her. She could see it in the way he kept hovering, well, hovering more than usual. 

But wasn’t he the one who said you had to chase down what you wanted and not take no for an answer? 

And Julie wanted to be the version of herself that could succeed at school and be there for her friends and family and chase her dreams and...she knew she could do it. She just had to push a little harder.

She slid into her seat next to Flynn, barely making it before the first bell yet again. There had been no cuddling with ghosts the night before. She just overslept. She had to say she preferred the former if she had to have a reason to almost be late.

She didn’t have long to linger on that though though because Flynn was already rounding on her excitedly, one peach colored rose clutched in her hand by the stem. 

“Whoa, did your mystery boy reveal himself?” Julie asked excitedly.

Flynn shook her head.

“No, but this was on my desk when I got here. Isn’t it the most beautiful rose you’ve ever seen?”

“Peach roses signify gratitude,” Julie offered. “And modesty.” 

Flynn rolled her eyes.

“You would know that. Girl, I keep telling you, just call me when you can’t sleep. Don’t get lost down these Wikipedia wormholes.  _ Anyway _ ...my secret admirer is getting bolder.” 

Julie leaned in closer to her friend to give at least the illusion of privacy. 

“Still no leads on who it could be?” 

Flynn waved the hand not holding the rose dismissively. 

“Don’t mind them,” She gestured to the other students in the room. “I’ve already interrogated all of them, they didn’t see anything.” 

Julie glanced around and caught a couple of slightly shell shocked classmates diverting their eyes quickly. 

One boy in particular looked as though he was a little traumatized. 

She shook her head and smiled. Leave it to Flynn to put the fear of God in the other kids in case they knew something. 

“Why do you think he doesn’t just reveal himself and ask me out?” Flynn asked, her chin coming down to rest on her hand. 

“Intimidated by your beauty?” Julie suggested.

That did the trick. Flynn sat up and smiled. 

“Well, obviously.”

The rest of Julie’s school day passed without incident until the final period of the day. Mrs. Harrison stood at the front of the room holding a flyer and clearly enthusiastic about whatever she was about to tell them.

“Ok, attention everybody. I have an announcement to make.” 

Most of the class turned their attention to their teacher but a few kids in the back were still talking. 

Mrs. Harrison sat the flyer on her desk and quickly clapped out a complicated rhythm with her hands.

The class snapped to attention and clapped the rhythm back to her. 

This was Mrs. Harrison’s favorite method of calling the class to order. If they were even a little off in their response she would make them do it again until they got it right. They were in a music program after all.

Rhythm was everything as she liked to remind them just about daily. 

Alex would like that. 

Luckily this time they got it on their first try and Mrs. Harrison returned to the matter at hand, this time with everyone’s attention. 

“Now, as I was saying, we have an exciting announcement. The school will be holding a Battle of the Bands competition. Any group of 3 or more is eligible and all genres are welcome. The winning group will perform at the homecoming dance at the end of the semester.” 

An excited wave of whispers broke out as they learned this information. Julie could understand why. 

The ill fated dance where Flynn had DJ’d and she had been supposed to perform had only been a casual dance for the underclassmen. The end of the homecoming dance on the other hand was a big deal. It was for all grades so the juniors and seniors attended as well. Everyone wore formal wear and the school hired a professional DJ and photographer. 

“That’s not all,” Mrs. Harrison continued. “The winning band will also get to take part in a professional recording session.”

There was no hope in her regaining control of the class after that. Instead she merely smiled and shook her head.

“Alright, I know you’re excited. I’m going to let

You discuss potential performance groups. I encourage all those interested to sign up by the end of the week.”

Carrie’s voice was unsurprisingly the first one to rise above everyone else’s.

“Obviously Dirty Candy has access to a recording studio whenever we need it...but we’re the obvious choice to perform at the dance.” 

“Obvious or oblivious, it’s a thin line,” Flynn whispered to Julie, rolling her eyes. 

Julie gave her friend a playful shove. 

“Are you going to enter?” She asked, Flynn’s eyebrows shooting up at the question. 

“No way, I’m more of a solo act, when I’m not guest appearing with the famous Julie and the Phantoms of course.” 

“Of course.” Julie raised her hand for a high face which Flynn quickly provided. 

“Speaking of everyone’s favorite hologram band, you have to sign up.” 

Julie sighed.

“I don’t know…”

Flynn shot her a look clearly meant to convey just how crazy she thought her friend was.

“What do you mean you don’t know? You’ve rocked two legendary venues in the last month. No way you can still be intimidated to perform at this stupid school.” 

“No, it’s just that…” Julie trailed off, searching for the words to describe her hesitation without sounding transparently insecure. “Like you’ve said we’ve been doing real gigs. Wouldn’t this kind of be a step backward?” 

Flynn titled her head and narrowed her eyes.

“This school, these dumb kids, stupid dances...you’re 15, Julie. This is your  _ life  _ how could that be a step backward?”

“Well, it’s not exactly the Orpheum is it?” Julie asked glumly.

“Is that what you really think or what you’re afraid a certain guy with a vendetta against sleeves would say?” 

Julie groaned. She should know better than to try to get anything past Flynn at this point. 

“Ok, ok, I’ll mention it to the guys. See what they think.”

“You’d better,” Flynn said decisively, crossing her arms. “I’ll know if you don’t.”

“You can’t really talk to them, they're not exactly…” Julie trailed off suddenly very aware that they weren’t alone. “Local.”

“I have my ways,” Flynn insisted before both girls laughed.

“Are you entering, Julie?” Another voice piped up causing the girls to turn in its direction.

It was Nick, the boy having taken up residence in the open seat next to her.

“Maybe,” She told him with a smile. “What about you?” 

He smirked.

“Maybe I will. I do love a good performance.” 

“You should.” She told him encouragingly. “Your guitar skills are next level.” 

“That’s just the tip of the iceberg,” Nick pretended to brush off his shoulders and both girls smiled. “Anyway, just wanted to say I think you’d be great.” 

The bell rang signifying the end of the day and he stood, giving both girls a little wave.

“See you guys, tomorrow.”

He walked out and Julie and Flynn started packing up their bags. 

“No study session tonight?” Flynn asked as she shoved seemingly random crinkled papers into her bag.

Julie shook her head.

“He said yesterday he had to do something with his parents tonight.” 

Flynn zipper her backpack and gave it a pat for good measure before swinging it over one shoulder.

“Well, good. Go home and talk to your boys. I want your name on that list first thing tomorrow morning.” 

Julie rolled her eyes but deep down she was grateful for the way Flynn sometimes steamrolled past her protests. Yes, sometimes she could be a little overbearing but she might never have stumbled through the most painful year of her life at all if Flynn hadn’t been behind her the whole time shoving her along.

“I said I would talk to them, that’s all I’m promising.”

Flynn seemed about to protest again before thinking better of it. 

“I’ll take it.” She said instead as the girls exited the classroom and headed home for the day.

By the time Julie got home she was more nervous than she was really comfortable admitting. She wasn’t proud of the fact that she sometimes felt like her role in the band wasn’t quite as defined as the boys’ was. They had so much history she would never be a part of. They had been on the verge or blowing up and now here they were having to start over again.

She knew they loved performing with her, she  _ knew  _ that, she really did. Still. It was hard to completely let go of how she had felt after their first disastrous attempt to perform at a dance, how they had apologized but not for the right thing.

How their apology had been all about how they  _ needed  _ her to do what they loved not about her as an individual with her own dreams and fears. 

None of that had seemed that important after she had seen Luke crying in his kitchen, blowing out a birthday candle with parents who didn’t even know he was there. 

But sometimes it still stung and the thought of Luke’s potential reaction to this gig felt like opening herself up to rejection again. Rejection of  _ her  _ not just some dumb competition. 

She wasn’t totally blind, she knew the trajectory their interesting little relationship seemed to be on wasn’t exactly rejection. But it hadn’t exactly been made clear to her exactly what trajectory it  _ was  _ on either. 

“Get it together,” She told herself out loud as she approached the door of the studio. 

“Ha! Caught you!” Carlos popped out from behind one of the plants and Julie let out a little shriek or surprise.

“Carlos! You almost gave me a heart attack.” 

“I just heard you talking to one of your ghosts.” He insisted showing no sympathy for her rising blood pressure. “You can’t deny it anymore.” 

“Carlos, we talked about this,” Julie started sighing. She really wasn’t in the mood for this. 

“No we didn’t!” Carlos countered. “You were supposed to come talk to me the night of your first show and you never did.”

Julie paused for a moment. That was true. She hadn’t even remembered until this moment that she had promised to go see Carlos that night. She’d been so wrapped up in the guys, literally and figuratively, it hadn’t even occurred to her that she was standing Carlos up.

“Look, I’m sorry about that.” She tried to placate him. “It was a crazy night for a lot of reasons and I just forgot.” 

“Yeah, but you keep ignoring my ghost theories.” Carlos pouted.

“Because they’re ridiculous, Carlos. You tried to perform an exorcism by eating a sandwich.” 

“Julie…” 

She cut him off by raising one hand.

“Carlos, we’ll talk, I promise. But right now I have to work on something in the studio. I’m sorry. Later, ok?” 

His face fell and Julie felt her heart sink along with his expression. She was letting down her little brother. That was the last thing she wanted to do. It was just that there was no handbook they handed out when a bunch of dead teenagers turned up in your garage. She had to be so careful who she told. She didn’t know what the consequences could be. 

“Whatever.” Carlos kicked moodily at the ground before stalking off. 

Julie sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that day as she slid open the studio doors. So much for keeping on top of everything and not letting anyone down. More like letting everyone down.

The guys were lounging around on just about every available surface when she entered the room. 

“Hey, Julie,” Luke greeted as Alex waved with one of his drumsticks.

“Little man alright?” Reggie asked bluntly.

Julie didn’t see the point in scolding them for eavesdropping. It wasn’t their fault Carlos had confronted her directly outside the door.

“He’ll be fine,” Julie told them. “I’ll talk to him later.”

“So, what’s next for Julie and the Phantoms?” Alex asked, spinning his drumstick between his fingers. 

“We got a couple more emails,” Luke offered.

“Boundaries,” Julie muttered but without any real annoyance especially once he shot her a sheepish smile.

“But nothing huge yet, no managers or anything. We need to perform somewhere epic and really blow their pants off if we’re ever going to get the attention of the bigwigs.” Luke popped out of his seat as he spoke, enthusiasm infusing every word. 

“Uh, I’m pretty sure it’s ‘blow their socks off’ not pants, dude. That’s weird.” Alex interjected. 

“Whatever!” Luke brushed him off. “The point is we need something big.” 

“Well, does anyone have any ideas?” Reggie asked and the room fell into a thoughtful silence.

Julie knew this was her now or never moment but she was currently leaning towards  _ never.  _ Still, thinking of her promise to Flynn she spoke up hesitantly.

“Well, there is one thing. It’s not  _ big  _ but it’s uh...it could be kinda cool, I guess. They’re doing a battle of the bands at my school.” 

There was a moment of silence then Reggie chimed in. 

“Hey, they had those when we were in school too!” 

“Yeah, and they were totally lame.” Luke offered. “Is there a prize?”

“Uh, yeah,” Julie definitely regretted this now but she pushed forward anyway. “The winner gets to play at the homecoming dance.” 

“Woooow,” Luke drew out the word. “Exciting.”

“And you get a professional recording session,” Julie continued, this her last effort to make this whole scenario sound appealing. 

“Ok, that’s something,” Luke admitted though he still didn’t seem excited. 

“Guys, not to be a downer but how exactly would that work?” Alex spoke up. “You think they’re just going to be cool doing a recording session with ‘holograms’? I feel like they’ll have questions.” 

“I have questions,” Reggie said. “Like I’m still not sure what kind of holograms we’re supposed to be. Like are we more ‘help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi you’re my only hope’ holograms or like Total Recall holograms? They helped people practice tennis in the future. Should we learn to play tennis?” 

Alex gave Reggie a judgemental look. 

“Ok...that’s not...we’re talking about whether we should do the battle of bands at Julie’s school. Focus.” 

“I don’t know, Jules it sounds like kind of a step backwards for us at this point.” Luke said. “But of course we’ll do it if you want us to. What do you think?” 

Julie felt herself wilting under his scrutiny and covered it up with an exaggerated laugh and a wave of her hand. 

“No, I mean that’s what I think too. It’s dumb. I shouldn’t have even brought it up.”

“It’s not  _ dumb _ , Julie,” Alex protested but Julie waved him off. 

“No, you can ask Flynn. I actually said the exact same thing. I just brought it up just in case, but we all agree so that’s good.” 

“Ugggh, but we’re no closer to figuring out our next move as a band.” 

Luke groaned in frustration and collapsed down on the couch where Alex was sitting, crowding half on top of the drummer as he pounded his hand on the cushion in frustration. 

“Dude, personal space!” Alex protested trying to shove Luke off the couch. 

Luke retaliated by starting a slap fight with his friend and within seconds the two were practically wrestling on the couch. 

“Boys, boys, didn’t you ever learn to share?” Julie asked exasperatedly, hands on hips.

They froze mid fight. 

“Only children,” Luke offered as an explanation, Alex taking advantage of his lapse in attention to finally shove him to the floor. 

Julie rolled her eyes. 

“That explains so much. I’m surrounded by only children!” 

There was a sudden clattering noise as Reggie shot to his feet knocking over at least three things in the process. 

Julie gaped at him surprised by his sudden movements and even more so by the brief glimpse she got of the expression on his face.

“Ugh, I’m going to see what’s on TV,” Reggie said before poofing out abruptly.

Julie felt her heart sink even further. Now she’d really done it.

She turned to face Alex and Luke who hadn’t moved an inch since Alex had dumped Luke on the floor.

“I take it Reggie isn’t an only child?” She asked.

Alex shook his head, concern clear on his features.

“I’ll go talk to him,” Luke said starting to stand up but Julie held up a hand to stop him.

“Let me.” 

She didn’t wait to hear if the boys would protest before she left the garage in search of their bandmate. 

She could fix this. She had to be able to fix  _ something _ . 

  
  



	10. Anticlimactic poofing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know tomorrow is going to be crazy at work so rather than risk not being able to post during my lunch tomorrow I decided to go ahead and post the next chapter now. At 1 am. Cause I have problems lol.
> 
> I wrote this chapter while binge watching JATP for the third time. So that was fun. 
> 
> And guess what? We get Reggie’s point of view this time! I just love him with my whole heart so I hope I did him justice at least a little bit. 
> 
> I’m pretty sure I heard somewhere that within the show Reggie is supposed to have had a brother but I made it a sister for reasons. 
> 
> I hope some of what happens in this chapter makes up for some of the less than pleasant parts of the last one. Please let me know what you think!

Reggie hadn’t exactly had a destination in mind when he poofed out.

Usually the way it worked was they just thought about where they wanted to go and poof they were there. Only this time he hadn’t so much been thinking “take me to the beach” as he had been thinking “get me out of here please”. He wasn’t sure exactly how that would work and at the last second he’d had a flash of fear that this could go horribly wrong. After all he’d lost his shirt on past poofs. What if he lost an arm or something this time?

He felt himself land somewhere but kept his eyes scrunched tightly shut, afraid to survey the damage. He did a quick pat down and decided everything important seemed to be intact before opening his eyes one at a time. 

“Huh, well this is anticlimactic.” 

His inner poofing compass had taken his request very literally and had only taken him to the stairs leading up from the studio to the main house. 

Reggie made his way up the stairs, dragging his feet slightly as he went, hands tucked into his jacket pockets. 

Most of the time their newfound afterlife was pretty great, murderous cabaret performers aside. But the way he’d felt when he discovered his house was now a bike shop was still fresh in his mind.

His family had always had their problems, sure. Ok, his family had been majorly dysfunctional if he was being honest. But that didn’t mean he didn’t love them. He was an optimist at heart and he’d never given up hope that eventually they would stop fighting and just be happy. That he’d make them proud.

He guessed he’d just run out of time.

He reached the top of the stairs and saw Carlos sitting on the front steps of his porch, looking as miserable as Reggie felt. He was tossing a baseball up and catching it over and over again. 

Reggie crossed the distance between them and sat down beside the youngest Molina, careful not to bump him. None of them were exactly sure of the rules of their newly solid status. They could always touch Julie and sometimes others too but it wasn’t consistent. It required some finesse and planning not to think you were about to walk through a lifer and end up knocking them flat instead.

Reggie settled in, resting his elbow on his knee and leaning his cheek on his hand so he could face Carlos.

“You ok, little dude?” He asked, pausing for the answer he knew wouldn’t come. “Yeah, I’m not doing so hot either.” 

Carlos tossed the ball up again but this time he missed it on the way down and it rolled into the bushes lining the edge of the steps. He sighed and reached for it blindly, not bothering to look and see if he was close to it or not. 

Reggie stretched out his foot and nudged the ball until it rolled into Carlos’ hand. 

“I know what it’s like to be ignored, buddy. It does not feel good. But the difference is Julie really cares about you.” 

“I do.” 

Both Carlos and Reggie looked up at the sound of Julie’s voice. 

“Wow, it’s two for one on my apology tour.” 

She stood in front of them looking nervous. 

“Uh, you’re making even less sense than normal,” Carlos said.

“It will make sense in a minute. I’m ready to have that talk now. If you still want to.” 

Carlos shrugged, clearly still not ready to let her off the hook yet. 

“It’s a free country I guess.”

“Should I give you two some privacy or…” Reggie asked starting to stand only to have Julie shake her head at him.

He settled back onto the step not sure exactly where Julie was going with this. 

She sat down cross legged on the path leading up to the porch, reaching out and putting her hand on Carlos’ knee. 

“Carlos, I’m sorry.” 

“You’re going to have to be more specific,” Carlos said. “For bailing on me? Or acting like I’m crazy? Or drinking all the orange juice?”

“All of that,” Julie answered. “I mean...mostly the first two but the point is I’m sorry. There’s been so much going on lately, more than you even know, but you’ve always been there for me. I hate that I haven’t been returning the favor. I’m not going to make that mistake again.”

Reggie fought back a sniffle.

“Ok, this is getting to me. I love you guys so much.” 

Julie shot him a quick comforting smile before turning her attention back to her brother. 

Carlos’ shell seemed to be cracking too.

“So you‘re ready to introduce me to the ghosts?” He asked hopefully. 

“You could say that,” Julie agreed. “You’re kind of already acquainted. One of them is sitting right next to you.”

Carlos reeled back and clutched his baseball to his chest. 

“Nice to officially meet you,” Reggie said, cheerfulness seeping back into his tone.

“It’s ok,” Julie assured Carlos. “It’s just Reggie. Believe it or not you two hang out a lot.” 

“Wait...you’re the one who did the thing with the lamp and the blinds? And the sheet?” Carlos exclaimed, setting the ball down on the porch. “Big fan!” 

Reggie grinned.

“The feeling is mutual, little dude.” 

“I want to meet all of them! And I have a lot of questions. To start with have they been communicating with me through my cereal or was that box just seriously lacking in marshmallows?”

Reggie and Julie shared a baffled look.

“Yeah, that definitely wasn’t us.” Reggie said.

Julie shook her head.

“Look, I promise I will introduce you to the whole band and they will answer all your questions. Maybe not _that_ one but yeah. But right now I need to talk to Reggie. Can you give us a minute?”

Carlos nodded and stood. 

“Ok.” He started to walk towards the door then spun around. “Wait, how do I know he’s really here?”

Reggie reached over and picked up the baseball Carlos had left behind. 

“Catch!”

He tossed the ball to a shocked Carlos who snatched it out of the air before cradling it like it was a precious artifact. 

“This is amazing! I have to go update my followers!” 

Carlos ran into the house and Julie called after him before trailing off. 

“Maybe don’t do that...ok, and he’s gone.”

“That was beautiful,” Reggie told her, patting the empty spot next to him that Carlos had vacated.

Julie gave him a soft smile before standing up and easing herself back down beside him. 

They sat in companionable silence for a few moments, shoulders barely brushing. 

“This is nice,” Reggie thought. 

He loved Luke and Alex. They were his best friends, his bandmates and pretty clearly his platonic soulmates if their current situation was anything to go by. But Julie. Carlos. Ray. They were like the family he’d always wanted. Just sitting at the table next to Ray for an hour gave him more warm fuzzy feelings than 17 years spent in the same house as his own dad.

“I agree, this is nice,” Julie agreed, bumping her shoulder against his.

“I guess I said that out loud, huh?” Reggie observed sheepishly. 

“Yeah,” Julie angled her body to the side to face him. “Look, Reggie, I owe you an apology too.” 

He shook his head. 

“You didn’t mean anything by it,” He shrugged. “You didn’t even know.” 

“Still.” Julie tilted her head to better meet his eyes. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Reggie took a deep breath. 

“My dad was never the most soft and squishy type, you know? In fact he was angry a lot of the time.” 

Julie reached out and pulled one of his hands from off of his knees and cradled it between her own. Reggie shivered at the feeling. All three of the guys had always traded touch like it was the most natural thing in the world. There were a lot of nights after late night band practices they had all ended up collapsed on the floor in the studio, limbs draped over each other like a pile of puppies seeking comfort in just knowing the others were nearby. 

That was fine with his fellow ghostly bandmates but Reggie had been fighting the urge to pull Julie into an enthusiastic hug pretty much every day for months. Just knowing he had the option to do so now usually left him feeling giddy. 

Granted, he wasn’t feeling very giddy at the moment. 

“And my parents fought all the time. They were so wrapped up in their own stuff they didn’t pay a lot of attention to me one way or the other. Unless I did something especially stupid.” 

Julie squeezed his hand. 

“And you have a sibling?” She asked, waiting patiently while he gathered his thoughts. 

“My little sister. Samantha. Sammi. She was only 3 when I...when we died. I think my parents thought they could fix their relationship by having another kid. How dumb is that?” 

“Reggie, I’m so sorry,” Julie said, tears shining in her eyes.

“I just wish I could know she was ok. She was the cutest little thing and she...she loved me.” 

He cleared his throat trying to get his emotions back under control. 

“Anyway, it doesn’t matter. Our old house is gone and I’m never going to know what happened to her.” 

Julie shook her head.

“What if I could help you find her?” She offered. 

Reggie stared at the girl beside him for a moment incredulously. 

“That’s super nice of you to say, Julie but unless you’re a secret private detective I don’t see how you can help. Wait...are you a secret private detective?” 

Julie laughed lightly. 

“Reggie, I think it’s time I introduced you to something called Facebook.” 

“They put people’s faces in a book?” He sputtered. “That seems ominous.”

“No...just, trust me. Do you want my help?” 

“You’d do that for me?” Reggie felt his emotions threatening to take over him again. He was really losing any ground he had to stand on when it came to making fun of Alex.

“Of course,” Julie squeezed his hand yet again. “I love you, Reggie.” 

“Aww, come here!” Reggie pulled Julie into a tight hug drawing a soft giggle from her as he squeezed her against him. “I love you too.”

They had just pulled away when Ray walked out onto the porch.

“Julie, have you seen my memory card? I can’t find it.” 

“I think it’s on the kitchen counter.” Julie supplied immediately. “By the coffee machine.” 

“What would I do without you?” Ray blew her a kiss before disappearing back into the house.

Reggie examined Julie for a moment. She looked tired which was nothing new these days. He couldn’t help but worry about her, they all did.

“Do you always look after your dad like that?” 

Julie shrugged. 

“He’s got a lot going on. Someone has to help him out.”

Reggie purposefully dropped his eyes to meet hers. 

“Everyone needs help sometimes. But does it always have to be you?” 

Julie didn’t respond right away and Reggie took advantage of her silence to blaze ahead.

“I’m just saying being part of a family or a band is like being part of a team. You can’t carry all the weight yourself. Sometimes you have to let us carry you. And not to brag or anything but we’re pretty strong, totally buff. So. Look forward to it.” 

Julie chuckled, leaning over to rest her head on his shoulder. He immediately returned the gesture resting his head on top of hers.

“When did you get so wise?” She asked playfully. 

He scoffed. 

“I’ve always been wise. You mortals just don’t understand my ways.” 

After that they didn’t talk for a long time, just enjoying the feeling of being close to each other in more ways than one. Reggie could _definitely_ , definitely get used to this. 


	11. An idiot is another word for moron

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all of the comments on the last chapter. I’m so glad you all love Reggie as much as I do. His friendship with Julie is everything and will be making more appearances.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this chapter as well. Still wrapping up some of the fallout from chapter 9 and of course giving us some Juke time. Because I need it lol.
> 
> Please enjoy and let me know what you think!

After Reggie and Julie left the garage Luke spent a few minutes pacing while Alex watched from the couch. 

If he hadn’t been so busy pacing a hole into the floor he probably would have spent some time thinking about the irony of how quickly their roles had reversed. As it was he was too worried to waste his time pointing out the obvious. 

He was worried about Reggie. He was worried about the band. He was worried about the possibility that Caleb hadn’t actually given up on stealing their souls. He was worried about Julie, like _ all the time _ lately. 

It was a lot. 

When he was alive, Luke had never been a worrier. If anything he’d been probably a little too confident that things would always eventually work out ok. His death aka the hotdog incident was probably proof enough of that. 

He had worked hard and believed in his friends and never really doubted that they were going to be the next big thing. 

Even dying hadn’t been enough to break his stride, not really. He had just picked up where he left off. Always pushing and dragging Alex and Reggie along with him, picking Julie up along the way and making it his mission to make sure none of them ever stopped seeing what he saw. What he  _ knew  _ they could be. 

But lately worry had seeped in through the cracks he didn’t even know existed in his shield of confidence. It was hard to act like you had nothing to lose when you had come so close to losing it all... _ twice. _

“Hey Luke, buddy? Can you come here for a second?” 

Luke stopped his pacing and approached Alex.

The drummer kept waving him closer, gesturing for him to bend down.

“Come here, I want to tell you something.” 

Luke bent over thinking Alex wanted to whisper something for some reason only to instead have his friend reach up and slap the back of his head.  _ Hard _ .

“Ow!” Luke cried out, clutching his head as he jumped backwards. “What was that for?”

“What are you doing, man?” Alex asked, exasperation dripping from every word.

“What are you talking about?” Luke demanded, jumping backwards as Alex leaned forward as if to take another swat at him. 

“I’m talking about Julie and how you just totally steamrolled right over her back there.” 

Luke froze. 

_ What? _

“Excuse me?” He asked. “I did what...when?”

Alex rolled his eyes.

“The battle of the bands at her school? You totally shot it down without even giving it a chance.”

Luke didn’t say anything for a second while he gathered his thoughts. Was that what he had done? 

“We were having a discussion as a band!” Luke protested, trying to convince himself as much as Alex at this point. “I said we would do it if she wanted us to.” 

Alex didn’t say anything so Luke continued.

“She said she didn’t think it was a good idea either!” 

“Luke, my friend, my bandmate, my partner in the afterlife...you know I love you.” 

Luke nodded. 

“Yeah.” 

“And you are a truly rare talent who writes songs filled with sincerity and insight that I personally find not only remarkable, but inspiring.” 

Luke softened under Alex’s compliment attack against his better judgement. 

“Thanks, man. That means a lot.” 

“Which is why it is all the more surprising that you have the emotional intelligence of a medium sized rock.” 

There it was.

“Hey!” 

“Look Julie wants to do the battle of the bands. It was written all over her face. Which you would have seen if you hadn’t been too busy calling it lame.” 

Luke sagged a little before dropping heavily into a chair. 

“Why didn’t she say anything?” He asked dejectedly, finally truly letting Alex’s words sink in. 

The last thing he wanted was to make Julie feel like he didn’t support her in anything she wanted to do. He had just been so sure she would tell him whatever was on her mind. He had found himself seemingly unable to  _ not  _ blurt out every private thought he had to her lately. It really wasn’t playing fair if he was the only sap opening the floodgates like that. 

“Because she likes you, Luke.” Alex said as though it was obvious, as though it was just a thing people regularly said out loud and not something that felt earth shattering even though of course he  _ knew  _ that. “And you can be pretty judgy once you get going about something. She cares what you think and right now she thinks that you think that she thinks something lame is cool.”

Luke narrowed his eyes.

“I  _ almost _ followed that last part.”

Alex shook his head.

“The point is Julie is a part of this band and this family. And she needs us right now. Battle of the Bands or no Battle of the Bands, we can all tell she’s not herself.” 

Luke sighed, reaching up to grip his hair as though that would slow his racing thoughts.

“I know.” 

“So you need to talk to her.” 

“ _ I know _ , Alex.”

“Like now.” 

“Don’t you have to go see Willie?” Luke shot back desperate for a reprieve from his friend’s insightful but painful observations.

“I would never leave you in your hour of need,” Alex said, raising one hand to rest over his heart, his tone semi-mocking. 

Luke reached over and snatched a pillow off of the ground launching it in his friend’s direction.

“Please for the love of God, leave me in my hour of need.” 

Alex caught the pillow and shot Luke an indignant look. 

“No gratitude.” He muttered before poofing out, the pillow dropping to the couch. 

For his part Luke let his head fall back to drape over the chair as all the fight left him at once.

Well, now what? 

Several hours later he was pushing his arm through her bedroom door and knocking, his notebook clutched in his other hand. When she called out for him to come in he slid inside and stood just inside the door slightly awkwardly. He needed to get a read on the situation before proceeding. 

Julie was sitting on her bed, legs stretched out before her and a notebook of her own resting on her knees. She didn’t seem to be in a particularly effusive mood but she offered him a small smile nonetheless. 

He took that as a sign that it was safe to come closer without risk of getting a slap from her too.

He nudged his shoes off and tossed his notebook near her pillow before climbing onto the end of her bed, dragging himself by his elbows until his head was roughly parallel with her knees, He rested one elbow on the bed and leaned on it, tilting his head back until he could take in Julie’s somewhat exasperated but still fond expression.

“Comfy?” She asked him, throwing back the word he had used to tease her in the garage just a few days ago.

It was so strange. Just a week ago touching her frequently had felt forbidden somehow, like it would start a boulder rolling that he couldn’t stop. A month ago touching her had been flat out  _ impossible _ . And yet now that he had started it felt wrong anytime he  _ wasn’t  _ touching her. Like he was wasting an opportunity that may never come again. 

Luke smiled but chose to ignore the rhetorical question. 

“Working on a song?” He asked his own question instead.

Julie snapped her notebook shut, grabbing it and clutching it to her chest for good measure. 

“It’s not ready yet. I’m serious, this one’s private, Luke.”

He hadn’t had any intentions of forcing her to let him read it but now the desire to know what exactly was so private was burning within him. It was the dream box all over again. 

Still, he really was trying to try better at respecting Julie's boundaries even if objectively he sucked at it. So he forced himself not to focus on the maddening possibilities. 

“That’s ok,” He shrugged, faking nonchalance as best he could. “I’ve been writing too and I’m pretty sure mine’s better.”

He nodded in the direction of his own notebook. 

“Check it out.” 

Julie placed her own notebook on her nightstand, shooting him an examining look to make sure this wasn’t all a trick to distract her while he snatched it.

He wanted to be offended but that did sound like something he would do.

Instead he just nodded at his notebook again, watching with anticipation as Julie picked it up and flipped to the last page. 

She read his scribbled words then he watched her squint and read them a second time before shooting him a questioning look. 

“What do you think?” He asked, still playing it cool.

Julie turned back to the page and read out what he had written with a barely contained laugh behind her words.

_ An idiot is another word for moron  _

_ Moron is another word for imbecile  _

_ I could think of a thousand options  _

_ But still  _

_ They’d all equal me _

_ I know I’m really dumb  _

_ So please forgive, Julie _

“That is…” She trailed off for a moment before letting out the laugh she failed to contain. “Truly awful.”

“Yeah, it’s not my best,” Luke acknowledged. “But it does the job.” 

“What job?” Julie scrunched her face up adorably in confusion and Luke struggled to stay focused. “Why are you calling yourself dumb?”

Luke sighed.

“Because when I get going about the band sometimes it’s like I can’t see anything else.” He reached out and started fiddling with the string hanging from a rip in Julie’s jeans just to have something to do with his nervous energy. “Not even when I might be hurting someone really important to me.”

He shot his eyes up to gauge her reaction and caught a slight blush making its way onto her face.

“Luke, you don’t have to apologize. The battle of the bands idea was lame, you were right.” 

Luke shook his head.

“Julie, nothing that’s important to you could ever be lame to me. And besides the more I think about it the more I can’t wait to rock your school. That’s where Julie and the Phantoms was born! We’re going to be a legend passed down in those halls.” 

“You really want to do it?” She asked, hope creeping into her tone.

“I really do. And I know the guys will be into it. We’re going to blow their pants off and win that studio time. We’ll figure out the rest later.”

“It’s still socks, not pants,” Julie rolled her eyes good naturedly.

“I’ve heard it both ways,” He shrugged, a grin stretching across his face. 

This was going well. There was a long pause where he continued to play with her jeans and she put his notebook down on top of hers. The silence stretched but in a warm, comfortable way. Eventually he knew he had to break it nice as it felt. 

“Hey, Julie?” 

“Hmm?” She hummed her response.

“Why didn’t you tell me you really wanted to do it? I can be kind of oblivious sometimes but I would never want you to feel like you had to agree with me.” 

Julie sighed.

“I don’t know. I just...I was pretty sure what you were going to say before I even brought it up. I don’t want you...I mean you guys...to think I’m immature or holding us back or something. I know I make you guys visible and we have a good thing going but you were a band before I came along.”

“Holding us back?” Luke couldn’t keep the utter amazement out of his voice if he tried and he wasn’t trying all that hard. “Julie you are the crazy talented glue that holds this band together, not back.”

She smiled at that and he squeezed her knee encouragingly.

His voice dropped to a softer tone for his next statement hoping she would truly take in his words.

“And I would have asked you to join even if no one could ever see us. You’re the best thing that ever happened to us, Julie. No regrets.”

There was that blush again. 

They stared into each other’s eyes for just a moment too long until Luke felt the need to clear his throat and look away briefly.

Yet again...too intense.

By the time he looked back Julie’s expression was one of more manageable affection. 

“So, we’re doing the battle of the bands?” She asked.

“We’re  _ winning _ the battle of the bands,” He corrected earning himself one of her blinding smiles.

“Should we write something new for it?” She mused starting to reach for their notebooks before he reached out to stop her.

“Tomorrow. Let’s take a nap first.” 

She quirked an eyebrow at his statement but settled back onto the bed.

Luke took advantage of her momentary stillness to slide down to lay flat on his stomach, resting his head just above her knees. She froze for a moment before relaxing, one of her hands coming down to gently play with his hair. 

Ok, that felt criminally good.

He let his eyes drift shut.

“Can you even sleep?” She asked.

He shook his head, the fabric of her jeans rubbing against his cheek. 

“But I’m practicing. I feel like I’m almost there.”

Julie chuckled but made no further comment, just carded her fingers through his hair again and again. 

“Did everything go ok with, Reggie?” He asked eventually his voice sounding ludicrously relaxed even to him. “He was watching tv with Carlos and your dad when I came in.” 

“We had a good talk,” Julie said, her voice clearly indicating she actually meant it. “I’m going to help him find his sister.”

“Julie,” He grumbled. “Not everything is your responsibility.” 

She didn’t hesitate to answer.

“No, but you three are.” 

For some reason her words put a lump in his throat and he didn’t risk speaking for a few seconds. When he thought he had control over himself he finally spoke up.

“And you’re ours. So let us take care of you sometimes too, ok?”

He could hear the smile in Julie’s voice when she spoke again.

“That’s what Reggie said too.” 

“Huh,” Luke acknowledged. “He can be surprisingly wise.” 

“Surprisingly.” She agreed. 

After that they lapsed into a comfortable silence and Luke drifted off to as close as he was going to get to actually sleeping. He couldn’t quite make it but if he was being honest he was relieved. He wanted nothing more in that instant than to be exactly where he was. 

With Julie. Both of them safe and happy. His girl’s fingers sliding gently through his hair. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Luke’s continued attempts to practice sleeping are my favorite lol


	12. Something wicked this way comes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, you guys were so incredibly sweet with your reviews over the last couple of chapters and it means THE WORLD to me. Thank you so much.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. I struggled with this one to be honest and I’m not totally satisfied but here it is. There’s a lot going on! 
> 
> Also, I need to share this with people who will understand how much I freaked out...Charlie replied to my comment on Instagram last night. My fangirl heart was exploding!! 💜
> 
> Ok, enjoy and let me know what you think!

The next day at school Flynn was giddy when Julie told her the band had agreed to perform in the battle of the bands competition. 

“No take backs right? You have to enter now.”

“It’s happening.” Julie assured her. “You can watch me sign up before Mrs. Harrison’s class.”

Flynn let out a small sound of delight, doing a little bounce on her heels. 

“This is going to be epic! I can’t wait to see the look on Carrie’s face when you win.” 

“That’s not why we’re entering,” Julie admonished, giving her friend a reproachful look. 

Flynn held up her hands and shrugged. 

“It’s not the  _ only  _ reason you’re doing it but come on picture it.” 

“Ok, it wouldn’t suck.” Julie acknowledged. “But honestly I just want everything to go smoothly unlike the dance we do not speak of.”

“What dance?” Flynn said, a supportive smile on her face.

“Exactly,” Julie agreed. 

“Ok, I’m calling a band meeting after school. We need to discuss a strategy. Song selection, wardrobe, a social media campaign to create advance buzz…there’s no time to waste.” 

“Technically I think you have to be in the band to call a band meeting.” Julie pointed out in a teasing tone. 

“Oh, I’m in the band.” Flynn responded, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “I’m the brains of the operation. And the heart. Possibly the model for your first album cover. We can discuss that later.”

“Noted,” Julie smiled and shook her head at her friend’s antics. 

“Ok, enough about how awesome I am. Your place after school?” 

“Sounds good.” 

By the time the end of the school day rolled around and they had made it back to her house Julie was starting to feel some of the excitement Flynn was exuding seep into her by osmosis.

Maybe this really could be as epic as her friend seemed to believe it would be. She found herself quickening her steps as they approached the garage. She couldn’t wait to tell the guys they were officially signed up and see what ideas they had for the performance. She and Luke planned to try writing something new but she figured they should have a backup plan in case inspiration didn’t kick in.

Not that inspiration tended to be a problem for Julie when Luke was around.

And if she was being honest she knew some of the excitement she was currently experiencing had more to do with seeing him than what they were going to discuss. It hadn’t exactly been easy to focus in her classes that day when the memory of stroking his hair was taking up so much real estate in her mind. 

_ Not helpful, Julie.  _

She reached out and tugged open the studio doors only having a moment to look inside before a small blur lept out. 

“Boo!” 

“Ahhh!” Both Julie and Flynn yelled, clutching at each other as they braced for attack. 

It never came.

Instead there was only a laughing Carlos, bent at the waist with his hands on his knees. Apparently scaring the life out of them was just too funny for him to remain standing upright. So much for their sibling bonding moment yesterday. 

“Carlos!” Flynn groaned, gripping her chest. “If I have a heart attack I’m suing you.”

“That wasn’t funny,” Julie scolded.

“It was a little funny,” Reggie’s voice emerged from inside the garage. 

“I already regret encouraging this friendship,” Julie sighed.

Flynn shot her a questioning look as Carlos grabbed her hand and dragged her into the studio. 

“Come on! You promised you would introduce me to the ghost dudes.” 

“Ok, ok, just slow down.” Julie protested. 

Inside the garage Alex was perched on the edge of the piano, Luke was stretched out on the couch and Reggie was up in the loft, feet dangling over the edge.

“He’s been hiding in here for an hour,” Luke informed her. 

“Talking a lot about cereal for some reason,” Alex added.

Julie shook her head. She was glad that she didn’t have to lie to Carlos anymore but she had a feeling managing his interactions with the boys would turn into a full time job.

“Don’t worry, Jules, I got this,” Flynn told her patting her shoulder before stepping forward to stand next to Carlos. 

“Carlos, meet the band. Luke…” 

Flynn pointed to her right. 

“That’s an empty chair,” Alex corrected.

“Reggie…” Flynn pointed to her left this time. 

“That’s a lamp,” Alex said. 

“And Alex.” 

Flynn pointed deeper into the garage. 

“Annnnd that’s a broken hula hoop. It’s actually impressive how wrong she is.” 

“How did I do?” Flynn rounded on Julie who had a grimace on her face but quickly worked to turn it into an encouraging smile. 

“You were...close,” She offered. “Guys, say hi to Carlos.” 

An echo of hi’s rang out and Julie informed Carlos that the boys were greeting him.

“Ok, I need all the details. Why can’t I see them now but I can when you’re performing?”

Julie exchanged a glance with Luke who shrugged.

“Uh, we don’t know.”

“And where’s the other one?”

“What other one?” Flynn asked.

Carlos reached into his back pocket and pulled out what Julie instantly recognized as the slightly crumpled insert from Sunset Curve’s demo. 

“Hey, where did he get that?” Luke asked, poofing over to stand next to Carlos. 

“He must have found it in here where I left it,” Julie offered.

Carlos glanced over in the direction Julie had spoken. 

“Ok, this is a little confusing not being able to hear half the conversation.” 

“You’re telling me!” Flynn chimed in. 

“So where’s the fourth ghost?” Carlos continued. “Is he lost in the beyond?” 

“Nope, just a giant jerk,” Reggie called down from above.

“A living jerk,” Alex added.

“I’m...not translating that,” Julie sighed before turning to Carlos. “He didn’t die. He just grew up.” 

She hesitated and considered leaving it there. She didn’t particularly want to tell Carlos Bobby’s real identity. The wider that piece of information spread the more chance there was for disaster. Still. She had promised only yesterday not to shut her brother out. 

“He actually grew up to be Carrie’s dad. What are the odds right?”

Carlos jaw dropped.

“You were in Trevor Wilson’s band? Cool!”

“Hey, he was in  _ our  _ band!” Luke protested. 

Julie shot him a look and he held up his hands in surrender. 

“Wait until I tell my followers all of this.” 

“Uh...slow down, Mini-Molina,” Flynn interjected.

“What’s a follower?” Reggie asked.

Julie sighed before steering Carlos over to a chair and pushing him to sit down. 

“That’s one thing I wanted to talk to you about,” She told him. “You have to stop posting about ghosts online.”

“What?” He protested. “You can’t do that!” 

“I’m sorry, Carlos, but all it takes is one person putting two and two together between your ghost content and my hologram band and we’re toast. The guys would be a tourist attraction and our music career would be over before it even got started.”

Carlos slumped in the chair. 

“This sucks.” 

“I know. I’m sorry. But Flynn and I have a counter proposal for you.” 

She nodded at Flynn as if to ask for a little help. 

Flynn stepped forward. 

“That’s right. How would you like to join the marketing team?” 

Carlos looked skeptical. 

“Marketing team?”

“Yeah,” Julie continued. “I want you to start a new channel where you document the band. You can help us convince people the guys are really holograms and promote our music.” 

Carlos gave his sister a considering look. 

“So let me get this straight...you want me to make propaganda for your fake hologram band?”

There was a drawn out pause while Julie cringed. When he put it like that…

“Basically.” She admitted. 

Carlos grinned. 

“I’m in.” 

Julie sighed in relief while Flynn and Carlos shared a high five. She was just about to suggest they run through a quick song just so Carlos could at least see the guys when a knock sounded on the door. 

She spun to see her dad in the doorway and he wasn’t alone. 

“Hey kids, Julie you have visitors.” 

This time it was Julie’s turn to let her jaw drop. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Flynn hissed under her breath. 

Julie had to agree. Because standing in the doorway next to her dad was Carrie of all people, arms folded and a look of pure annoyance on her face. And she wasn’t alone. 

Her  _ dad  _ was standing next to her. 

“What is he doing here?” Luke practically growled. 

For his part Trevor...Bobby...looked more than a little uncomfortable as he glanced around the interior of the garage. 

“Uh...hi, Carrie. Hi, Mr. Wilson.” Julie finally managed to get out. 

That seemed to snap him out of his distracted state. 

“Please Julie, you know you can call me Trevor. Mr. Wilson is my father.” 

“Definitely not his dad’s name,” Alex called out. 

“Um, what are you guys doing here?” Julie asked trying to keep her voice neutral even though she was horrified. It didn’t help that she could feel Luke’s glare practically burning a path to where Trevor stood.

“We were in the neighborhood…”

“We were not,” Carrie muttered.

“And Carrie was saying how much she misses hanging out with you…”

“ _ I did not _ ,” Carrie snapped but her Dad ignored her and pushed on. 

“And I also wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your performance at The Orpheum. That was really something.”

Silence descended over the garage for a moment while they all allowed his words to sink in. 

“That’s...that’s not good, right?” Reggie finally said. 

“Uh, you were there?” Julie finally said. “You saw the holograms and everything?” 

Trevor nodded and took a step towards Julie. Luke instantly poofed to her side protectively. 

“I actually wanted to ask you about that. That’s some pretty impressive bells and whistles. I wouldn’t mind having something like that in one of my stage shows. So...how did you do it?” 

“Um...well...you see...what happened was…” Julie sputtered, wracking her brain for what to say. 

Did he know? He had to know right? 

Luckily she was saved from having to formulate a response by her dad coming up to clap a hand on Trevor’s shoulder. 

“Don’t bother trying to understand it, Trevor. We are dinosaurs at this point and we have to accept it. Now come on, let’s let the kids hang out. I’ve got some new records you have to see. Come on Carlos, you too.” 

“Well, I…” Trevor tried to protest but in the end he let himself be led out of the garage, looking over his shoulder the whole way. 

Carlos followed after then reluctantly, pointing from his eyes back to the garage as he went.

Julie breathed a sigh of relief though it didn’t last long. 

“It goes without saying but I did not want to come here,” Carrie announced as soon as their parents were out of earshot. “Just because my dad is fascinated by your little holograms doesn’t mean I want to be friends again.”

“Well, luckily we don’t maintain friendships with demons so you’re off the hook,” Flynn snapped back.

“Goals!” Alex said. “I learned that from Willie.”

Carrie just rolled her eyes and stalked over to one of the chairs and sat down. 

“Well, I’m here now. Might as well take in your little hologram show.” 

“Uh, what?” Julie asked, shooting Luke a worried look. 

Carrie folded her arms again. 

“Why not? This is where you practice isn’t it? Unless there’s something weird about your story and you can’t deliver.” 

“Well, there’s a time difference and they might not be available and…”

“If you can’t do it just say so.” Carrie cut her off. “I know there’s something off about all of this and I’m going to figure out what it is.” 

“She can do it,” Flynn broke in, shooting Julie a look as if to say they didn’t have much of a choice. “I’ll get the projector set up and text the guys.” 

The guys exchanged a look but poofed to their positions ready for Julie to start. 

Julie took her place behind the keyboard and nodded at Flynn who had plugged in the projector and was holding up her phone. 

“Lucky for us they were available. They’re insomniacs so that helps. Anyway. Take it away, Julie!” 

She flipped the switch on the projector and Julie began playing the opening notes of Bright. 

A few moments later the guys began playing and popped into sight causing Carrie to jump. 

Julie tried to focus on what she was doing but that was satisfying to see. Really who did Carrie think she was coming to her home and demanding she prove herself? Sometimes she could hardly believe they had ever been friends. Though in terms of unbelievable things in her life that barely cracked the top ten at this point. 

A minute or so into the song Carrie rose from her seat and approached the projector. 

Julie exchanged a panicked look with Luke.

Carrie waved her hand in front of the lights and Julie braced herself for the worst. Luckily the guys were on it and poofed out of sight just as her hand passed in front of the projector. Carrie did it a few more times in quicker and quicker succession but the guys managed to keep up, flickering in and out of sight. 

It would have been amusing if she wasn’t so stressed. 

Finally the song ended and Julie sank back in her seat in relief as the guys became invisible to everyone but her again. 

“Satisfied?” Flynn asked, hands on her hips.

Carrie rolled her eyes.

“More like bored.” 

Luckily they were saved from having to make further conversation when Trevor reappeared.

“The car is on its way, sweetie,” He told Carrie who shot Flynn and Julie a disgusted look.

“Great, I’ll wait outside. It’s a little stuffy in here.” 

“I’ll walk you out,” Flynn offered. “Make sure you don’t steal a gnome or something.” 

Carrie rolled her eyes and stalked outside and out of sight. Julie shot Flynn a grateful look as her friend grabbed her bag and took off after the annoying queen bee. The last thing they needed was her wandering around looking for evidence unsupervised. 

Her eyes snapped back to Trevor who was looking around the studio with an unreadable expression on his face. 

“You know, it’s hardly changed at all.”

Julie felt her eyes getting impossibly wider as all of the guys exchanged looks. Was he really just going to come out and lay his connection to the band on the table?

“Uh, what?” Julie asked, her heart pounding.

Trevor seemed to give himself a subtle shake. 

“You girls spent so much time out here playing rockstars.” He gave her a soft smile. “It’s a lot of good memories.” 

“Oh,” Julie let out a puff of air as she relaxed slightly. “Yeah, those were good times.” 

“I was very sorry to hear about your mom, Julie,” He offered, his voice betraying emotion that surprised her. “She was so talented and she had the biggest heart.” 

Julie swallowed down the lump that had appeared in her throat. 

“Yeah, she did.” 

“Look, I have a proposal for you. Carrie tells me you’re entering the band competition at the school. Carrie’s group is going to have a practice performance at our house for some of the kids and some of my friends. Why don’t you perform too? It could be fun.” 

“No way in hell,” Luke snapped.

“Maybe this  _ is  _ hell,” Reggie muttered.

“I always thought it would be warmer,” Alex added. 

“Um, I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. Carrie might not like it.” Julie did her best to tune them out. 

“Nonsense,” Trevor shook his head. “Just promise me you’ll think about it. I can’t wait to see this band of yours again. It’s...really something.”

“Um, well I’ll think about it.” Julie finally offered just eager to end the conversation. 

“Am I interrupting something?” 

Julie’s eyes shot to the doorway where yet another visitor was making himself known.

“This is getting ridiculous,” Luke groaned. 

“Nick?” Julie said, her brain having trouble catching up with yet another unexpected person popping up at the worst moment. 

“We’re studying tonight, right? Your dad said you were out here.” 

“Nick,” Trevor greeted. “I haven’t seen you around the house lately.” 

“Carrie and I broke up,” Nick explained flatly with no emotion. 

“Oh,” Trevor seemed genuinely taken aback by that news. “I didn’t realize.”

He glanced between Julie and Nick before clapping his hands together.

“Right, I’ll leave you to it. Julie, just think about it, ok?”

Julie nodded and with that Trevor finally left long after his welcome had worn thin. 

“Ok, now let’s get rid of this weasel and actually practice,” Luke said, earning him what she hoped was a secretive glare from her. 

Nick for his part was walking around looking at the studio much like Bobby had. He paused by one of the chairs and she thought for a second she saw him swipe something from the seat but when she looked again she didn’t see anything in his hands.

Convinced she must have imagined it, Julie sighed. Tonight’s practice was clearly cursed and there was no point fighting it.

“Come on, Nick. All my stuff is in the house.” 

She shot the guys an apologetic look and led Nick out of the garage. 

So much for a band meeting. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So all of the pieces for my “season” are in play now! You didn’t think I would leave out Trevor did you? And what do we think Caleb is up to now? Hmmm...


	13. Eat your sandwich

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, this chapter is the first one that has two different points of view in it. I don’t really want to make a habit of doing that but Caleb needed to do some plotting and Luke wanted to check in with Julie and I just couldn’t tell either of them no. (Said the crazy author lady to herself lol)
> 
> You get some of Caleb’s plan revealed as well as a little backstory on the boys so I think it’s worthwhile even if it’s kind of a bridge chapter.
> 
> As always let me know what you think!

When Caleb had set out for Julie’s house he had not had anything on his mind but his next taste of the girl’s soul energy. 

The night before he had been forced to forgo a study session top off because his host’s parents had informed him his presence was required at a family dinner. This had turned out to be a gathering of at least 15 people where he had been expected to sit at what they called the  _ children’s table _ . He had eaten bland chicken while seated between a sullen teenage girl and a little boy who spent most of the meal with his finger up his nose.

Let no one say he didn’t suffer for his art. 

Luckily the art of a well plotted revenge was worth a lot of humiliation. 

But tonight Caleb had no such obstacles between him and his goal, at least he thought he didn’t until he arrived at his destination only to see two minor characters from Julie’s life walking briskly down her driveway. 

Nick’s memories supplied their names and relative roles just as they caught sight of him. 

Flynn the best friend and Carrie his host’s ex-girlfriend. 

If the look on that one’s face was anything to go by she was far from over their little ill fated teenage romance. Caleb took a moment to wish it was her who had the seemingly endless supply of potent soul energy and the connection to the only ghosts to ever defy him and live to tell the tale. 

He had a feeling if he had shown up at her doorway with flowers he would have been able to help himself to whatever he wanted with very little fuss. 

Still, he didn’t have time for her now.

“Nick,” She said as he drew near to them. “What are you doing here?”

Caleb didn’t break his stride as he proceeded toward the house. 

“Not looking for you.” 

There was a brief pause and then he heard the other girl speak up from behind him. 

“Wow. Is it just me or was Nick unusually harsh?” 

“It’s just you. If you tell anyone about this you’re dead!” 

So the ex was taking this well. Fascinating. He didn’t have time for fun though. 

He knocked on the front door only to be informed by Julie’s father that she was in the garage. He wasted no time heading in that direction and though he heard voices he didn’t hesitate to barge right in. 

He didn’t want to be here all night after all.

“Am I interrupting something?”

Carrie’s father fled the scene fairly quickly after that and Caleb took the opportunity to take a quick look around the space. So this was where Julie and her little undead band rehearsed. It was quaint if you were into rustic spaces tinged with nostalgia and dirt. 

Of course said band was in fact standing around in the room and Caleb was sorely tempted to make them aware that he could see them. That would be a fun reveal. But the time for that particular moment had not come yet. 

Then he glanced down at a disgusting looking chair only to see a crumpled piece of paper that said “Sunset Curve”. It also featured a photo of the band. A photo that included  _ four  _ young men. 

Caleb reached out and grabbed the paper using one of his old sleight of hand tricks to stow it away in his clothes before Julie or her pets could see that he had taken something. 

After that it was a pretty standard study session where he paid just enough attention to keep his cover while he opened the connection between them and began a slow drain. 

It really was an intoxicating feeling. 

It was a shame he would eventually have to finish her off. He wouldn’t miss the time spent in this host but there was something to be said for slowly savoring a snack. It was always so much more delicious when you made yourself wait.

He watched in a detached manner as she sagged lower over the table bit by bit, blinking slowly at the textbook they were supposed to be reading from. He knew he needed to cut off the drain soon if he didn’t want her family to find her passed out at the table. Such a pity to have to stop. 

Still. Restraint was an important part of any great performance.

He shut the connection and patted Julie on the shoulder which seemed to rouse her slightly. 

“You’re practically falling asleep, Julie. Long day?”

She sat up a little straighter and offered him a tired smile. 

“You could definitely say that.”

“Well, it’s time for me to head home anyway. Maybe you should make it an early night and get some extra sleep. I’m worried about you.”

He could tell she was genuinely moved by that. Really he was doing this girl a favor by putting her out of her misery eventually. Someone this trusting and this naive really didn’t stand a chance in this world. That much hadn’t changed since the time he was actually alive.

She didn’t see it now but she would be better off.

He would kill her, sure. But there are worse things. 

He wanted her boys to see her die. Then he wanted her to see him destroy their souls. Then she could join his band in their place. Eventually she would come to love it. The afterlife is long. She won’t even remember them in a hundred years or so. 

But most importantly he wanted them to figure out what that he was plotting against them. He wanted them to think they had a chance to stop it. And then he wanted their last moments in existence to be spent knowing they had failed. 

Now  _ that  _ was revenge.

It was taking them longer than he had thought to catch on, especially when he had specifically left Willie at large in case they needed an assist in putting two and two together. Willie didn’t know he was part of Caleb’s plan of course. That revelation was something else to look forward to.

Caleb’s patience was wearing slightly thin but he thought he might have stumbled onto something today that could add an extra layer of fun to the proceedings by driving a wedge between the girl and her ghostly companions. That should tide him over. Nothing like a little drama to lighten up the days spent trapped in a teenage hormone factory. 

As soon as Caleb was out of sight from Julie’s house he snapped his fingers to summon Dante. 

His lackey phased in looking nervous.

“Yes, boss?”

“Developments, Dante. I’ve got a lifer we’re going to need to temporarily imbue with some special abilities.”

Dante gulped.

“Right, of course. Only boss...that’s going to take a huge surge of soul juice. Will you be using the girl or…”

“She’ll be helpful but I won’t be taking the full amount from her. Not yet.”

“Then how…” 

Dante trailed off the expression on his face one of complete ignorance. Caleb wondered if it was peaceful being that stupid.

“By recruiting, Dante. I want more lifer guests at the club than ever before. And if you can’t get enough volunteers...remember we don’t have to ask anymore.”

Dante gulped again. 

“Yes, boss. Who is this lifer?”

Caleb snapped his wrist with a flourish, drawing out the paper he had picked up earlier with another sleight of hand. 

Dante examined the photo on the Sunset Curve cd insert.

“So there was another one! But how will we find him?” 

Caleb smirked. 

“Oh, I think I already have.” 

* * *

Luke waited as long as he felt like he could before proofing into the house to check on Julie. Alex had left to see Willie an hour ago and Reggie had gone with Ray to watch Carlos play baseball but Luke had spent his time pacing in the studio. 

Pacing. Again. 

Carrie.  _ Bobby _ . Nick. 

It had been like a parade of their worst nightmares marching through their most sacred space one after another. And now Julie was in there studying with the golden boy while he was out here trying to sort through the mental fallout from their visitors. 

He had given up on confronting Bobby. He really had. No revenge was worth the pain he had seen all over Julie’s face the last time they had let her down. But that didn’t mean rage didn’t well up inside of him when he saw his face.

Bobby had always been just slightly on the edges of the bond Luke shared with Reggie and Alex but that hadn’t really been his fault. Luke and Reggie had been best friends since kindergarten and they had adopted Alex in the fourth grade when some jerks were teasing him for saying the pink crayon was his favorite. 

Luke and Reggie had drawn all of their ninja turtles predominantly in pinks and purples that year in support.

Bobby they had met their sophomore year of high school when he moved in mid-semester with an awkward haircut and no friends. So they had adopted him too. The fact that he could play the guitar, had a killer garage and actually decent parents who would let them use it was like a gift dropped into their laps. 

He had been a little pretentious and never quite found his rhythm in their group compared to the way the rest of them were practically one organism. But that wasn’t his fault. If anything Luke had felt a little sorry for him. 

And he had trusted him. Completely.

Which is why the thought of what he did, what he had stolen from them seemingly without a second thought, left Luke’s blood boiling. 

Luke forced himself to stop pacing. Surely Julie was finished studying by now?

He told himself he just wanted to make sure she wasn’t too thrown off by the events of the day but he knew the reality was the one thing guaranteed to snap him back to his own equilibrium was seeing her face. 

He  _ really  _ had it bad. 

Grabbing his notebook he poofed into the house pleased to see that Nick was no longer at the table. If the squeaking of the stairs was any indication he had just missed them and Julie was heading up to her room. 

Luke poofed to the bottom of the stairs and sure enough Julie was just reaching the top. Luke was just about to make his presence known when suddenly Julie swayed a little. 

He frowned. 

“Julie, are you…”

The next moment she was tipping backwards and would have tumbled down the stairs if Luke hadn’t poofed up to catch her.

“Whoa, Julie! Are you ok?”

She blinked up at him sluggishly for a moment before her eyes seemed to clear and she realized the position she was in. One of her hands came up to grip his arm tightly. 

“It’s ok, I’ve got you.”

Luke carefully set her back on her feet and half-supported, half-carried her up the last couple of steps before leading her into her room and easing her down on the edge of her bed. He crouched on the floor and gripped both of her hands in his, his notebook forgotten somewhere on the floor. 

“I’m sorry...I felt a little lightheaded but I’m not sure what happened.” Julie frowned. “I’m ok now.”

Luke felt his heart squeeze painfully and he translated it to a gentle squeeze of her hands.

“What are you apologizing to me for? Are you sure you’re ok? Maybe you should call your dad or something.”

Julie shook her head.

“No, really. I’m fine. I’m just going to lay down for awhile. Will you stay?”

“Of course I will, but Julie are you sure? I think…”

She shook her head again. 

“Seriously, Luke. I’m fine. Today was a lot.”

He couldn’t disagree with that.

“Plus I didn’t actually eat dinner.”

Ok, food. That was something he could handle. 

“Don’t move.” He ordered ignoring the way she seemed to find his forceful tone funny if her smile was any indication. 

Luke poofed out to the kitchen thanking whoever was in charge of ghost weirdness that he could manipulate physical objects without a problem by now. He rummaged around the fridge for a few minutes before deciding to make her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich since he knew it was her favorite. Then he made another one just in case. He grabbed a bottle of water and balanced it on top of the plate. He stopped at the foot of the stairs and scooped up his abandoned notebook before making his way back to Julie’s room. The slow way. 

By the time he returned, Julie had changed into more comfortable clothes and was sitting fully in her bed, her arms wrapped around her knees.

She looked so small and Luke tried to keep the worry from his face when she greeted him with a smile. 

“Here,” He handed her the plate and set the water on her nightstand before sitting on the edge of her bed. 

She spotted the notebook he held right away.

“Have you been writing?” She asked. “Something for the competition maybe?”

He shrugged, feeling suddenly, inexplicably shy. 

“Maybe.”

“Can I hear it?”

He gave her an examining look before pointing at her still untouched sandwiches. 

“I’ll read it to you if you eat those.” 

Julie rolled her eyes but she did take a big bite so he supposed he had to hold up his end of the deal.

He flipped open his notebook and started reading.

_ I see them all looking at you and me _

_ Like they can see right through  _

_ What we’re pretending to be  _

_ And I can’t argue  _

_ Cause they’re right  _

_ Straight out of a movie scene  _

_ Floating like a fever dream _

_ Nothing, nothing, nothing is as it seems _

He glanced up to gauge Julie’s reaction and was surprised to see her mouth hanging slightly open, her forgotten sandwich gripped loosely in her hand.

She snapped her mouth shut when she saw him looking.

“What?” He asked, smiling gently against his better judgement. He was so worried about her but when she was being so freaking adorable it was hard to focus on the bad stuff.

“Nothing. That’s great, Luke. What’s it uh...what’s it about?”

He shrugged. He would have thought it would be obvious. 

“It’s about us.”

Julie who had just taken another bite of her sandwich started choking slightly and Luke reached out to clap her on the back before she was able to swallow and pull herself together.

“It’s about...us?” She finally managed to continue. 

Luke felt his face scrunching up in confusion. What was he missing here?

“Yeah. About how we’re pretending to be a hologram band but really we’re a ghost band? I was inspired by your conversation with Josie the other night.” 

Julie giggled a little.

“Right! Yeah. About us as a band. That’s what I thought you meant. Totally. Yeah.”

She took another big bite of her sandwich and Luke felt like his heart was physically growing so it could hold all of what he felt for this girl. 

Ok, he got it now. He could be dumb sometimes but he wasn’t  _ dumb. _

Julie had thought he meant  _ us _ . The big us. The unspoken us. 

He hadn’t but that didn’t matter. Someday he would write Julie a song and it wouldn’t be some half-thought out scribble. He had a feeling that was going to be the most important song he ever wrote and he just hoped he was up to the task. 

He reached out and ruffled her hair affectionately. 

“Eat your sandwich.” 


	14. As long as we’re together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know if I’ve told you lately but I love and appreciate you guys so much. I’ve had no less than four of you comment specifically to remind me to take care of myself and not push too hard to update daily. You are all too good for this world and I wish you many Luke smiles in your dreams tonight. 
> 
> A good mix this chapter of the guys being the dorks they are, Flynn being a persuasive queen and some emotional friendship moments. 
> 
> I’m excited to see what you guys think and for what’s coming up in the next few chapters. 
> 
> Enjoy!

The next night Flynn finally got that band meeting she wanted. 

Julie was starting to wish she had never agreed to it though. 

Flynn was currently walking increasingly frantic circles around the studio while the boys watched from the couch, slightly intimidated looks on their faces.

For Julie’s part, she was sitting on the piano bench tracking her friends movements and trying to find the best moment to break into her tirade. 

“Trevor Wilson invited you to play at a party at his house and you didn’t jump at the chance? Am I the only one that sees how crazy that is?”

“Yeah, but Carrie is also performing. If we upstage her in her own home she is going to make it her mission in life to make us miserable. More miserable than she already does.” Julie argues. “And besides, I practically grew up in that house. Trevor is not as cool as you think he is.”

“You can say that again,” Reggie grumbled. 

“Second rate guitar playing music thief,” Luke muttered.

“And he still looks like a substitute teacher,” Alex added. 

“Not helpful,” Julie said in their direction earning her an eye roll from Flynn.

“That’s not the point. The point is other people think he’s cool.” 

“I still think it’s a bad idea,” Julie insisted. “Give me one good reason I’m wrong.”

Flynn pulled out her phone and began typing furiously. 

“I can give you two.”

She strode over to the piano and held her phone out to Julie. The boys poofed over, crowding in to see what was on the screen. 

“He told you some of his friends would be there, right? Well, these are the kind of people Trevor is friends with. Check out his Instagram.” 

“Is that...Gene Simmons?” Luke grabbed for the phone, pulling it closer causing Flynn to jump. 

“And...Dave Grohl?” Alex said disbelievingly.

“And Barry Manilow!” Reggie exclaimed. 

Luke and Alex both shot him judging looks. 

“Who?” Julie asked. 

“Hey, Bobby and I shared an appreciation for Copacabana, ok?” Reggie defended. 

“Ok…” Alex sighed, shaking his head at his friend. “Anyway, you think some of these famous people might be at Bobby’s party?” 

There was a moment of silence while he waited for Flynn’s response before Alex snapped his fingers and turned to Julie. 

“She can’t hear me.”

“It’s like it’s your first day,” Luke teased.

Julie couldn’t really blame him. She knew firsthand how easy it was to forget that the guys existed in a world of their own when they were so real and  _ solid _ to her. 

She passed Alex’s question on to Flynn wondering when “ghost translator” had officially become part of her daily routine. 

“I’d bet on it,” Flynn said. “And every one of them has industry connections. Connections they could be using to get your band their big break.”

“She’s got a point,” Reggie said. 

“Really?” Luke rounded on his friend who threw up his hands in surrender. 

“Maybe we should think about this,” Alex offered. “Do we really want to let avoiding Bobby keep us from our dream? Isn’t that kind of like letting him win all over again?” 

Luke frowned deeply but he didn’t argue with what Alex had said. 

Julie couldn’t help but smile as she leaned over to tease him a little. 

“You know you’re making the face, right?” 

“I’m not making the face,” Luke grumbled but she could see the start of a smile fighting its way into his expression. “It’s your face.” 

Julie smiled again holding eye contact with Luke for just a moment too long to be casual. 

“Ok, we’re not here to watch you two flirt,” Flynn broke in. “Especially when I can only see half of the happy couple.” 

Julie shot Luke a panicked look before immediately looking away not ready to decipher the expression on his face. She caught sight of Alex and Reggie exchanging knowing glances. 

“We’re not happy...I mean we’re not a couple...we’re not flirting!” She finally managed to get out. 

“Well, I’m convinced,” Alex said, earning himself a punch to the arm from Luke. 

“Um hm,” Flynn folded her arms and smirked. 

Julie could feel herself blushing. She needed a change of topic and quick. 

“Didn’t you say you had two reasons we should play at the party?” 

Flynn sighed and stepped forward to lean on the piano. 

“So...I didn’t tell you earlier because you were practically falling asleep in first period but I had another note in my locker this morning. My secret admirer wants to meet me at that party.” 

“A secret admirer?” Reggie echoed.

“Ooh, tea,” Alex said.

Julie saw Luke shaking his head at the drummer. 

“You’ve got to stop with the 2020 vocab.”

It was really amazing she hadn’t lost it more than she had already given how hard it was to focus with the ghostly peanut gallery constantly making commentary in her ear. 

“That’s amazing, Flynn,” Julie told her friend sincerely. “I’m just not sure…”

Flynn raised her hands together in the universal gesture of begging your best friend to do you a favor. 

“Please, Jules?” She bounced a little as she spoke. “There’s no way I can walk into the lion’s den on my own.”

Julie turned to look at the guys and gauge their opinion. 

“I’m down,” Reggie spoke first. “We can’t ignore a friend in need.”

“Yeah, and it does seem like a good opportunity for the band,” Alex agreed.

They all turned to Luke who sighed before throwing up his hands

“Fine, let’s do it.” 

“What did they say?” Flynn asked nervously.

Julie turned back to her friend and smiled.

“Looks like Julie and the Phantoms have our next gig.” 

“Yes!” Flynn squealed, reaching out to pull Julie into a quick hug before spinning with her arms out as if searching for others to hug. She dropped them to her sides after a few moments and shrugged. “We’ll work on the group hugs.” 

“Ok, we need to rehearse if we’re going to rock a celebrity packed house party,” Luke said, already reaching for his guitar. 

“Ok, boss,” Julie saluted as Alex and Reggie took their places.

“I have no idea what he said and I’m going to leave you guys to it, but Julie don’t forget…” Flynn looked pointedly around the room. “ _ You’re  _ the boss. Own your power, girl.” 

Julie just laughed and exchanged a look with Luke who gifted her one of those grins that has been wrecking her life since the day they poofed into her garage. 

A couple of hours later and Julie was completely done in. She was tired but in a good way, the way that left the music tingling in her veins long after her fingers had stopped flying over the keys. 

It was a feeling she only used to get after a long writing session with her mom. She had been so sure she would never feel it again, the way your entire being could be so sure you were exactly where you were supposed to be. 

It was just one of a million things she was grateful to the guys for. 

“That was great guys,” Luke said as he set his guitar on its stand. “Julie do you want to take a look at the lyrics for the song I showed you last night? I’ve got a killer idea for the bridge.” 

“Actually, I was hoping Reggie and I could get a few minutes alone,” Julie said. 

Reggie looked a little nervous so she gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. 

Alex and Luke exchanged a glance before Luke answered her.

“Yeah, of course, we’ll be around if you need us.”

He gave Reggie’s shoulder a squeeze and Julie an encouraging nod then he and Alex poofed out. 

Julie grabbed her laptop and sat down on the coach, opening it up and pulling up Facebook. 

She looked up only to find Reggie standing in the middle of the room looking absolutely petrified. 

Julie felt her heart clench painfully. She could only imagine how she would feel if she hadn’t seen Carlos in 25 years. She loved having the guys with her, didn’t even want to contemplate a world in which that wasn’t true, but that didn’t mean the losses they had suffered were any less real. 

The hole in Reggie’s life where his sister should be wasn’t any smaller than the one her mom had left for her. 

“Reggie?” She patted the couch next to her. “Do you want to sit?”

He gave himself a little shake. 

“Yeah, no, I should...k.” 

He sat down beside her and Julie reached out to squeeze his hand.

“We don’t have to do this right now if you don’t want to, you know that right? Or at all if it’s too hard.”

Reggie shook his head. 

“No, I want to know.” 

Julie gave Reggie’s hand one more squeeze before letting go and focusing on her computer.

“Ok, so I found 182 Samantha Sullivans in LA,” She started. 

“182?” Reggie repeated incredulously before sighing. “We’ll never find her.” 

“I’m not finished,” Julie assured him. “Only 3 of them are the right age. 28 right?” 

Reggie nodded.

“That’s still so weird.” 

“I know,” Julie agreed, feeling more than sympathetic to the weirdness of the entire situation. “But I thought if I showed you the pictures of the three possibilities we might be able to figure out which one is her.” 

“Yeah, that makes sense.” 

Julie hovered her finger over the trackpad on her laptop, looking to Reggie for confirmation that he wanted her to click. 

He took a deep breath then nodded. Julie nodded back before clicking to pull up the tab with the first Samantha Sullivan.

Reggie squinted at the screen for a moment before shaking his head. 

“Nope, definitely not. Our family has a very distinctive nose.” 

Julie nodded, moving on to the next tab. 

“How about this one?”

Reggie leaned in for a closer look.

“No, that’s not her either. Her eyes are the wrong color.” 

“It’s ok,” Julie reassures him. “We still have one more.”

She clicked on to the final tab and was met with only silence. She turned to ask Reggie if they had found the right one but the words died in her throat. She  _ knew  _ they had. Reggie’s face said it all.

“That’s her,” He said, his voice awed. “I know it.”

Julie reached out to place a comforting hand on his arm. 

“Are you ok?”

She watched as tears sprung up in Reggie’s eyes, a few escaping and making their way down his cheeks. He reached up to swipe them away before looking over at Julie and managing a small smile.

“She’s so beautiful.”

“Reggie...” Julie said, fighting down her own tears. 

“Now what? What if she wouldn’t want to see me even if it was possible? What if she doesn’t even remember me?”

“Hey,” Julie set her laptop aside and reached out to wrap her arms around Reggie’s middle. “We’ll figure it all out. I promise.” 

Reggie returned her hug and that was where Luke and Alex found them almost 20 minutes later, still holding each other, not speaking. 

The other guys didn’t ask any questions just piled onto the couch squeezing into spaces that didn’t even really exist to join the group hug. Julie could barely breathe but she didn’t care. 

She felt safe.

She felt like there was nothing they couldn’t handle as long as they were together. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Group cuddle sessions for the win!


	15. Holding it now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I have to apologize for a pretty depressing chapter. I hope there are enough sweet moments in there to help you through it. 
> 
> As we’ve already established I’m pretty incapable of writing anything without my own stuff working its way in. So here we are, working out my personal traumas through fanfiction. 🙃
> 
> I held my brother’s hand while he died and I’m so glad I was able to but it was also easily the hardest/worst moment of my life. 
> 
> Julie is really going through it right now in a variety of ways and that comes out in her dreams but she isn’t alone. 💜
> 
> Back to the banter next chapter, I promise.
> 
> Also, on a positive note Madison liked one of my comments on Instagram. I feel like between this and Charlie’s reply, somehow karma is rewarding me for pumping out 30,000+ words of JATP goodness for you guys in the last 15 days. 😂

_The lights in the hospital corridor were too harsh._

_Something about the combination of the glowing fluorescents and the reflection on the shiny floor left her feeling like she wasn’t standing on solid ground at all. It seemed to move and bend beneath her feet, like wading through ocean waves more than walking down a hallway._

_It didn’t matter._

_Julie had to get to the other end because there, just visible through an open door, was her mom. Her hand was reaching out from her hospital bed, waiting for her daughter to take it and she_ **_would_ ** _if she could only get there._

_If only the hallway didn’t seem to be lengthening so that every step she took led to no progress._

_“She’s waiting for you, Julie.”_

_It was Carlos, standing to one side of the hallway observing her lack of progress emotionlessly._

_Julie raised one of her legs to take her next step only to find her feet suddenly impossibly heavy._

_“Carlos…”_

_Only it wasn’t Carlos anymore, it was her dad._

_“She needs you, Julie. Carlos and I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”_

_Julie gritted her teeth and forced her other foot forward, practically dragging it now._

_Her father flickered out of existence leaving Flynn in his place._

_“Come on, Jules. She’s not the only one who needs you. Hurry up, we’re all waiting.”_

_“I’m trying,” Julie said, feeling a sob building within her as tears of frustration burned her eyes. “I’m trying so hard.”_

_“We know you are.”_

_Flynn had been replaced by Alex._

_“You’re doing your best but it’s just not good enough. Maybe you should just give up. It’s ok.”_

_“No!” Julie shouted, forcing herself to keep going even though her feet were barely leaving the ground and the hallway kept getting longer and she could hardly even see her mom anymore…_

_“That’s right. You can’t give up, Julie. Some of us never got to say goodbye.”_

_It was Reggie. Sweet, Reggie, looking at her like she was disappointing him._

_Julie could feel tears burning trails down her cheeks now as Reggie morphed into another form._

_Luke._

_“You can do it, Jules. Just push a little harder. You have to. No one should die without a hand to hold.”_

_Julie focused all of her strength on taking the next step and managed to inch forward only for the ground to open up and then she was falling._

* * *

“Julie!” 

Luke shook the girl’s shoulder gently, the agonized look on her face more than enough to frighten him and allow him to push past any of his reservations about if waking her was best. 

He was pretty sure he was breaking boundaries again, not only entering her room without knocking but doing it in the middle of the night as well. 

But if he had to make a choice between making Julie mad at him and not knowing if she was ok that was an easy choice. It was worth the risk. 

And he hadn’t known if she was ok. 

He had been sitting in the garage, trying to work on lyrics but doing more crossing out than composing, when he had felt a strange feeling rush over him. 

It had been sort of like having a bucket of cold water poured over him or maybe like standing too close to a ringing bell. Shivery, vibrations passing right through him somehow giving him the impression that his name was being called even though there was no actual sound. 

It didn’t hurt like the jolts from Caleb had but it felt no less intense.

Luke had shot up from his seat, his notebook sliding forgotten to the ground. 

His eyes immediately found Alex and Reggie’s who returned his wide eyed look of confusion and shock.

“What was that?” Alex asked, giving a shudder as though an insect had landed on him. 

“You felt it too?” Reggie asked. “Do you think it’s Caleb again?” 

Luke was already shaking his head before his friend had even finished asking the question.

“I don’t think so. Don’t you guys think it felt like it was...I know this is weird but I swear that felt like Julie. Like she was calling us.” 

Luke loved his friends for a lot of reasons but none more in that moment than the fact that at his words the three of them exchanged a glance and without speaking another word poofed into Julie’s room. 

Luke braced for the worst, prepared to lead them in a supernatural battle of some sort of Julie was under some sort of attack. Luckily it seemed that wouldn’t be necessary as she was there in front of them,safe and sound in her bed. 

Unfortunately his relief was short lived. 

Julie was tossing and turning violently, her forehead wet with sweat and her face screwed up in pain. 

“Should we wake her?” Reggie whispered, his voice clearly indicating how worried he was about their friend. 

“I don’t think she would appreciate being surrounded right now,” Alex replied softly. “Luke, we’ll be in the garage if you need us, ok?”

Reggie looked like he wanted to protest but when Luke nodded he followed Alex’s lead in proofing out.

Luke didn’t want to think too deeply into the fact that it had just been assumed he would be the one Julie would want to see when she woke up in the state she was in. It scared him if he was being honest. There was a large part of them that filled with happiness and pride at the thought of Julie needing him. 

The problem was there was another part, smaller but insistent, that kept trying to remind him he couldn’t promise he would always be able to be there for her. 

The reality was he could become just another scar for Julie Molina. 

And that was terrifying. 

But _she_ was terrified right now. And he couldn’t just stand back and watch. 

“Julie!” 

She startled awake as he shook her shoulder gently and for a moment the look on her face when she saw him was hard to read. 

Then she was launching herself into his waiting arms, wrapping hers around his neck tightly. 

His hands came up to hold her to him, one of them settling on her back the other pressing gently into her hair. 

“Hey, hey, it’s ok. You’re ok.” 

She burrowed further into him, pressing her face into his neck as he tightened his arms around her. 

He was reminded yet again how small and fragile she really was.

Eventually she pulled back and Luke reached up with one of his thumbs to wipe away a few leftover tears from her cheeks without consciously deciding to do it. 

She shivered slightly under his touch and sat back to put some space between them though she offered him a soft smile as if to reassure him that what he had done was ok. 

“Are you alright?” He asked, concern coloring his voice.

“Bad dream,” Julie shrugged, before directing the attention back at him. “What are you doing in here?”

“We felt...something when we were in the garage,” Luke struggled to explain what he and the other guys had experienced. “I’m not sure how it works but I felt like you were calling us. The other guys are just giving you some privacy.” 

Julie managed another small smile.

“But you never met a boundary you didn’t want to cross.”

He smiled back. There she was. 

“Guilty.”

Julie picked restlessly at her comforter. 

“You were all in my dream. Carlos, dad and Flynn too. And...my mom. I think talking with Reggie earlier got to me.” 

Luke swallowed harshly. 

“Do you want to talk about it?”

There was a pause before she looked up and redirected the conversation in a direction he didn’t expect. 

“Did it hurt? When you died?”

She might as well have slapped him for how much that question took him by surprise. Not only was it something he hadn’t expected her to ask it was something he hadn’t let himself think about. At all. 

Still.

He wouldn’t lie to her.

“Uh, yeah. A lot. But just at first. Pretty quick it felt like it was something separate from me, you know? I don’t know if that makes sense. I just felt kind of floaty and weak. And then it was over.” 

Julie made a small sound Luke couldn’t quite interpret but he inched his hand across the bed, leaving it within reach of hers but letting the final decision be hers.

Thankfully she chose to wrap her hand around his, slotting their fingers gently together. 

“I held my mom’s hand when she died,” Julie told him softly. 

Luke felt his breath catch in his throat, air he didn’t even need to breathe but still suddenly couldn’t get enough of.

“I’m sorry no one was there to hold yours.” She told him, her open heart clearly on display, a heart so big Luke sometimes thought it put the rest of them to shame even combined. 

“Hey,” Luke said it so forcefully she looked up at him with wide eyes. “I wasn’t alone. Alex and Reggie and I died the same way we lived, together. We were lucky.” 

He lifted their linked hands. 

“Besides, you’re holding it now. That’s all I care about.” 

She ducked her head shyly. 

“Please don’t tell the guys I said that,” He joked, eager to change the subject and raise her mood. 

“No promises,” She chuckled. “Just stay on my good side if you want to be safe.” 

“Got it.”

They smiled at each other and Luke felt tension seeping out of his body. 

She was ok. 

They were going to be ok. 

“Will you stay?” 

He nodded, releasing her hand taking up what was quickly becoming his go to position next to Julie on top of her blanket. 

Julie eventually slipped back into sleep but Luke didn’t even bother pretending that night, just lay next to her waiting for any sign she needed him. 

He was still scared. But he was there. Right where he was supposed to be.


	16. Now or Never Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for all of your wonderful comments. I don’t know how I stumbled into the corner of the internet with genuinely nice people but I’m glad I did! Maybe JATP fans are just the best humans. It’s a possibility lol. 
> 
> Ok, this is a long chapter. Well, long for me. We’ve got some banter and some Trevor shenanigans and another chance to see the band perform. We also have another one of the songs I wrote so that’s fun. 
> 
> Please let me know what you think! 
> 
> The next two chapters will be from the perspectives of two characters we haven’t heard from yet so that’s exciting. 
> 
> Enjoy!

A few days later Julie and Flynn were being driven by Ray towards the security gate of Trevor’s mansion, a line of cars stretching as far as they could see. Some looked like the typical cars that populated their school parking lot but some looked decidedly fancier. 

Julie felt her palms getting sweaty at the thought of the night ahead of them. They just had to get in, avoid Carrie’s wrath, avoid Trevor’s questions about the band, perform for an audience that included huge celebrities _and_ most of the kids in her grade, and get out without any huge disasters. 

What could go wrong? 

“Wow, this is going to be some party, huh?” Ray remarked. “You sure you girls don’t want me to hang around? I'm sure your Tía wouldn’t mind watching Carlos a little longer.”

He said it in a teasing way as though he just wanted to attend a fancy party but Julie could tell that underneath he was really trying to give her an out, a way to walk in with a bit of a security blanket. There was a large part of her that wanted to take him up on the offer. She wished sometimes lately that she could be a little girl again and all of her problems could be solved by climbing into her daddy’s lap. But she wasn’t. 

Besides he didn’t even know half of what she was facing. 

She hated keeping secrets from her father, especially now that Carlos knew the truth but she just knew it wasn’t time to tell him yet. He already worried about what was left of his family _so_ much. 

She couldn’t be the reason that his last shred of feeling like he could protect them went out the window. 

“No thanks,” Julie told him, reaching over to squeeze his arm affectionately. “We’ll be aright. And Trevor said he would send us home in a car with one of his drivers so you don’t have to pick us up.” 

Ray chuckled and shook his head. 

“One of his drivers. _One_ of his drivers! Who lives like that?”

“Rockstars do,” Flynn piped up from the backseat. “Get used to it because Julie is probably only months away from superstardom.”

Ray grinned.

“Now that I believe.”

Before they could continue their conversation the car in front of them pulled away and they finally reached the gate where a bored looking man with a clipboard was stationed. 

Ray rolled down his window and the man glanced over with an unimpressed look before returning his gaze to the clipboard he held.

“Name?”

“Julie Molina and Flynn Walker,” Ray supplied.

The man flicked through his list making two checks towards the final pages. 

“Dropping off or parking?”

Ray looked over at Julie giving her one last chance to change her mind. She gave him a nod and a smile she hoped wasn’t too obviously nervous. 

Ray turned back to the man with the list.

“Dropping off.” 

The man nodded in a clipped fashion. 

“The guests may disembark here and walk up to the house. You will follow this loop which empty you back out onto the public street.” 

“Ok, ladies, you heard him. Hurry so I can get back to the public street.” 

Ray winked at Julie who rolled her eyes in return.

If she did miraculously shoot to superstardom like Flynn seemed to think she would, she hoped she never became the kind of person who lived the detached life Trevor and Carrie seemed to.

The girls hopped out of the car, Flynn with her trusty backpack swung over her shoulder and waved goodbye to Ray. Then they waited as the man entered a code into a keypad so the gate could swing open. 

“Just so you know, this thing isn’t as hard to get over as you think it is,” Flynn informed him as it finally opened and they passed through. 

The man frowned and Julie just giggled as she dragged Flynn along beside her. 

“Let’s try not to get kicked out before we even make it in the door,” Julie scolded her friend. “We both have a mission tonight, right?”

That seemed to sober Flynn up a bit. 

“How do I look?” 

This was at least the fifth time she had asked Julie that question since they had started getting ready together a couple of hours ago. 

She was about to reassure her friend yet again the guys poofed in.

“Uh, Julie? How do I look?” Flynn repeated, taking her friend’s distraction for hesitation. 

“You look amazing,” Reggie answered instead. 

“Blue is definitely your color,” Alex agreed.

There was a pause before they both looked over at Luke expectantly. 

“She can’t even hear...ouch, ok, ok, cool shoes, satisfied?” 

Alex, who had elbowed Luke’s side, seemed pretty proud of himself. 

Meanwhile Flynn was still staring at Julie like she had lost it. 

“Are you seriously just leaving me hanging?”

“The guys just got here,” Julie explained. “And they think you look great by the way.”

Flynn grinned and flipped her hair over her shoulder. 

“They do? What did they say exactly?”

Julie rolled her eyes. 

“Come on, we’ve got to get going. Let’s go over the plan one more time.” 

“We get in, you rock it, we get out as quick as possible. But we have to allow enough time for me to meet up with my date.” 

“You have that plan down too?” Julie asked.

“The note said he would be holding a rose in the center of the room during Dirty Candy’s set. That should be pretty hard to miss.”

Julie reached out to give Flynn’s hand a squeeze. 

“Wow, that’s romantic,” Reggie said.

“It’s a bad imitation of a cheesy movie,” Luke countered.

“Just because you’re emotionally constipated doesn’t mean romance is dead,” Alex shot back. 

Julie rolled her eyes again. 

“Come on, let’s get this over with.” 

They quickened their steps to join the stream of people moving towards the front door. Most of the guests were kids Julie recognized from school but there were quite a few adults in suits and fancy dresses too. 

When they finally reached the door her plan to avoid Carrie went right out the window. Of course she would be greeting people at the door. 

“Thanks so much for coming! Grab a Dirty Candy sticker on your way in. Take two!” 

When she caught sight of Julie and Flynn her expression soured instantly.

“Oh look, Julie and her sidekick are here. This is low even for you, you know that? It’s not enough trying to show me up at the Spirit Rally you have to give it a go in my own house? Gosh, good thing you’re such a _nice_ girl, huh?”

Julie felt the guys crowding protectively around her but deep down she had a sinking feeling that Carrie had a point. If her dad had invited Dirty Candy to perform at one of her gigs she might never forgive him. 

“Take it up with your dad, Carrie,” Flynn snapped before grabbing Julie’s elbow and steering her further into the house. 

Despite the less than welcoming welcome, seeing the mansion set up for a party was really something. Julie had spent countless hours in the house and Flynn and the guys had seen it in the daylight but this was something else.

Most of the furniture had been cleared out of the sprawling first floor to make room for people to mingle and dance. Purple lights cast a dreamy glow on the space though Julie was having trouble seeing where they originated from. And there on the far side of what was usually the living room was a full on stage that had been erected complete with spotlights and huge speakers. 

“Now _this_ is a party,” Reggie observed, head swinging from side to side as he tried to take in everything.

“Still think it’s not even a little bit about the money?” Alex nudged Luke.

Luke just frowned. 

Uh oh.

The last thing Julie needed right now was old feelings about the need for revenge surfacing. 

“Remember why we’re here,” She whispered and all three guys nodded. 

Just then Trevor pushed his way through the crowd towards them though he had to step every few seconds to greet someone who wanted his attention. Another man dressed all in black trailed behind him. 

“Julie, Flynn! So glad you girls could make it. Everyone’s looking forward to your performance, Julie.”

“Thanks, Trevor,” Julie replied trying to actually sound grateful despite her lingering misgivings.

“Is that where you keep your hologram projector?” Trevor nodded at Flynn’s backpack. “This is Jerry, my tech guy. He will get it all set up for you.”

Jerry reached forward and tried to pull the backpack from Flynn’s arms. She jerked it back and wrapped both of her arms around it possessively. 

“Excuse me, this is proprietary technology, Jerry. I can set it up just fine.” 

Jerry looked to Trevor for further instruction.

“Man of few words, aren’t you, Jerry?” Alex observed.

“I understand but you still need to get it hooked up with our sound system.” Trevor tried, clearly not wanting to take no for an answer.

Jerry made to reach for the bag again and Flynn took a step back.

“Really dude? Back off,” Reggie sounded more irritated than Julie was used to hearing him.

“Should we create a distraction or something?” Luke asked.

Julie ignored them. 

“It automatically connects with everything it needs. That’s what makes it so special. We appreciate it but really, Flynn’s got it.”

Trevor frowned but then schooled his face into a smile. 

“You heard the ladies, Jerry.” 

Jerry shrugged and turned to walk away. 

“Bye, Jerry!” Alex called after him. 

“Well, how about this. I would love to meet the band. Any chance you could hologram them in a little early so we could chat before your performance?”

Trevor clearly wasn’t giving up and Julie was starting to regret agreeing to come. Why had she been more worried about Carrie’s annoyance than her father’s desire to know why his dead bandmates were performing again? 

She really needed to get her anxieties into a more reasonable order. 

“Sorry, but I don’t think that’s going to work.” Julie fought to keep her voice calm. “They’re already getting ready and they don’t like to be disturbed when they’re getting in the zone.”

“We’re always in the zone,” Luke joked.

“Besides isn’t Carrie going on soon? I’m sure she wants you front and center.” 

Trevor smiled again though it barely qualified as a smile given how quickly it disappeared.

“Of course. Julie you can get ready in the guest room upstairs and Flynn just set up wherever you need to. After the girls perform we’ll get your keyboard set up.” 

With that he reluctantly spun on his heels and walked away just as the lights dimmed even more and a voice echoed through the speakers.

“Who is ready to see Dirty Candy?”

Cheers went up around the room. 

Julie gripped Flynn’s shoulders and looked her best friend directly in the eyes. 

“Just get the projector set up somewhere and then don’t worry about us. You’ve got this. Just remember any guy would be lucky to have you, ok?”

Flynn pulled Julie in for a hug before releasing her and grinning nervously.

“Ok, you go be a rockstar, I’m going to go be the heroine of a romcom, we regroup later, ok?” 

Julie gave her friend’s shoulders one last squeeze before stepping back and watching Flynn disappear into the crowd. 

“Do you think she’ll be ok?” Reggie asked.

“She’ll be fine,” Julie answered, trying to reassure herself as much as him. “Let’s go upstairs. Dirty Candy is doing two songs and I need a minute.”

The boys followed her upstairs just as the pounding sound of music erupted from the speakers. Julie led the way to the guest bedroom where she and Carrie had once played hide and seek. 

That felt like another lifetime. Then again so did her life before losing her mom. Also there was the lifetime before three ghost boys poofed into her garage. 

She had led a lot of lives in her 15 years. 

“Hey, you ok?” Luke places his hand on her shoulder, dipping his head down slightly to make eye contact. 

Julie sighed. 

“It’s just a lot. Do you think Trevor bought our excuses?”

Luke cringed, tilting his head as if to say the answer was obviously no but he didn’t want to stress her out more.

Reggie seemed to have no such qualms. 

“Oh, he was definitely more suspicious than ever. He did not seem convinced.”

“She was looking for a little comfort, Reg. Good job.” Alex chastised his friend.

Julie groaned.

“Look, what is he going to do? Announce to the world that he’s crazy? Don’t worry about him just sing your heart out and blow everybody down there away, alright?” Luke did his best at a pep talk. 

And it did help somewhat. 

Julie took a few deep breaths. 

“Ok, let’s do this.” 

Julie stepped back into the hallway just as the finishing sounds of Dirty Candy’s second song rang out. 

She hoped that by this point Flynn was happily off in a corner somewhere making conversation with her revealed secret admirer. She also hoped she had gotten the projector set up somewhere first but mostly she hoped her friend was having the best night of her life. 

Julie reached the bottom of the stairs and searched the crowd for Flynn. She didn’t see her friend but did spot the projector blinking up at the stage from the top of the fireplace mantel so that was a relief. 

Jerry was on stage plugging in a keyboard. He finished and scurried off the stage and Julie took a deep breath before crossing the room and climbing onto the stage. There was no one to announce their performance but she supposed she really shouldn’t be surprised given they were in enemy territory. 

She sat down at the keyboard and glanced out at the crowd. Still no sign of Flynn. Was that a good sign or a bad one? She wasn’t sure. She did see Carrie and her friends crowded off to one side, glares on all of their faces. Good, always nice to have a welcoming audience. 

Julie tapped the mic a couple of times to make sure it was on before leaning in to speak. 

“Hi, we’re Julie and the Phantoms and this is Finally Free.”

Despite certain segments of the crowd being against them when the guys poofed in the cheers were still instantaneous. That trick never seemed to get old. 

But it was more than that. They were responding to their music, responding to the words and feelings and _soul_ that they had poured into creating these songs. 

Sometimes Alex and Reggie made fun of Luke when he went off one of his rants about how music had the power to connect the whole world. She had to admit she had rolled her eyes at his earnestness occasionally too. But in a moment like this there was no denying it. 

He was _right_.

After all, hasn’t music connected her to them across decades and universes?

By the time their first song had ended even some of Carrie’s friends were cheering enthusiastically.

“Thank you so much! We have one more song for you and it’s a new one. This is Now or Never Part 2.” 

Julie shared a grin with Luke.

When she had originally told him she had been inspired to work on a song by her favorite track on their demo he had been incredibly smug. 

“Oh, so you’re a _fan_ ,” He had teased.

“I thought that was obvious,” Julie had teased back. 

Teasing aside they had worked on the song together and they were incredibly proud of it.

Alex set up a driving rhythm on the drums as Julie abandoned her spot behind the keyboard to own the middle of the stage. Reggie and Luke both added their parts, making the audience wait for the vocals to come in. When Julie finally did begin to sing the energy in the room was at an all time high. 

_Just when I think I’m moving on_

_The past comes back to haunt me_

_Just when I think it all makes sense_

_The floor crumbles out from under me_

_But even if I’m falling_

_You will tumble after_

_And when we hit the ground_

_I know we’ll only climb up faster_

Luke, Reggie and Alex all joined her on the chorus creating harmonies that twisted around each other before blending perfectly.

_So take my hand and take a chance_

_That tomorrow will be better_

_Time is strange and life is hard_

_But we could still live now or never_

_We’ve only got ourselves to blame_

_If we wait around for forever_

_Time is strange and life is hard_

_But with you I still say now or never_

_Yeah, we still say now or never_

Luke took the next verse but Julie found herself playing the role he usually did, crowding herself into his personal space and putting their chemistry on full display for everyone to see. 

_Just when I think we lost our chance_

_A door opens out of nowhere_

_And I know the friends we made along the way_

_Will keep us moving forward_

_Cause even if I’m falling_

_You will tumble after_

_And when we hit the ground_

_I know we’ll only climb up faster_

Luke grinned at her antics as Reggie and Alex added a chorus of “oohs” to lead back into the chorus. This time it was his turn to abandon his post at his microphone and share hers backing her across the stage. Not that she minded.

_So take my hand and take a chance_

_That tomorrow will be better_

_Time is strange and life is hard_

_But we could still live now or never_

_We’ve only got ourselves to blame_

_If we wait around for forever_

_Time is strange and life is hard_

_But with you I still say now or never_

_Yeah, we still say now or never_

On the last “now or never” each of the instruments fell away one by one until it was just Alex finishing off with a short solo before the song ended.

There was a moment of silence before the crowd went absolutely wild. She could see several of the suit wearing adults nodding their heads approvingly and many of the kids she recognized were practically jumping up and down in excitement. 

One person was definitely not cheering though. 

Carrie was pushing her way through the crowd and stomping out of the room.

Julie tried to enjoy the cheers but as the guys poofed out she couldn’t help but think nothing good would come from humiliating Carrie Wilson on her own turf.

  
  



	17. Friends and Enemies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another pretty depressing chapter today and no, you won’t find out anything about Flynn’s secret admirer this chapter. Don’t hate me! You will get to find out what happened with Flynn at the party next chapter. 
> 
> But Carrie desperately needed some character development and like many of you pointed out Julie performing in her house was a pretty low blow from her dad and Julie. Lots of you felt bad for her and I intended you to.
> 
> She is awful to Julie but she is human and that’s what I wanted to show this chapter. It doesn’t excuse her behavior but hopefully it makes it a little more understandable where it’s coming from. 
> 
> As always please let me know what you think!

Watching Julie Molina perform to thunderous applause in her own house was definitely a low point for Carrie. 

When her dad told her he had invited Julie’s band to play Carrie had been livid. Still. She had never expected Julie to actually take him up on the offer. Somehow she had still thought her former friend would have enough of a heart not to come into Carrie’s own house to rub her success in her face. 

It had been crushing enough to see Nick turn up at Julie's house the other day. And that was really the only word for how she had felt when he blew her off so easily and headed up that driveway looking for Julie. 

_ Crushed.  _

The fact that Flynn had been there to witness the brush off only added insult to injury. 

Suddenly the room seemed to spin a little bit. Carrie tried to take a deep breath as Julie and her hologram boy grinned at each other across the stage but suddenly air seemed a little hard to come by. The song was ending and everyone was cheering, her so called  _ friends  _ were cheering, she couldn’t see him but somewhere nearby her dad was probably cheering and she…

She couldn’t take it anymore.

Carrie turned on her heels and shoved people aside in her efforts to flee the room quickly. She just needed to get outside and get some fresh air and regroup. She could do this. She was Carrie Wilson and she was born to be a star and she couldn’t let things like this get to her.

She couldn’t let  _ people  _ like this get to her. 

Carrie was barreling forward with her head down when she slammed into someone hard. 

Her head shot up ready to order someone out of her way only to be met with just about the only person in the world she actually wanted to see right then. 

“Nick?” She hated that her voice sounded choked and small. “You came.”

He gave her an examining look, eyes darting to check the progress of what was happening on the stage before returning to her. 

“I’m still invited aren’t I?”

Carrie felt a small surge of hope. Maybe there was still a chance for them. Maybe they could work everything out. They had broken up so many times over the last couple of years but they always found their way back to each other. 

“Of course,” Carrie reached out with both hands and wrapped them around one of Nick’s arms. “Hey, I need some air. Why don’t you come out to the pool with me and we can talk?” 

Nick’s face remained impassive as he reached up and pulled her hands off of his arm. 

“Listen, sweetheart,” He said, raising one hand to flip his hair. “This is nothing personal. You put on a good show and I love a good dramatic rivalry. But I don’t want to be your boyfriend and I can tell you with confidence I haven’t for quite some time.”

Carrie felt her vision narrowing until all she could see was the way Nick was looking right through her. Nick. Nick who had always been so sweet to her, who had always seen the parts of her that were worthwhile even when it seemed like no one else did. 

Sure, they had always had their problems but he was never  _ cruel _ . 

He gave her a distracted pat on her shoulder before pushing by her heading towards the stage. 

Carrie took a gasping breath and shoved her way past the few people remaining between her and her escape and burst outside. Luckily the pool area was deserted but she probably wouldn’t have cared either way. 

Carrie reached down and yanked off one of her shoes then the other, stumbling over to the edge of the pool and sitting down to dangle her feet in the water. 

The cool water served its purpose, shocking her system and helping her gain another gasp of air. It wasn’t enough to shake her out of her current state completely though. This happened occasionally, the world collapsing in around her like nothing was ok and nothing ever would be again. 

It had been a long time since it had been this bad. 

She didn’t know how long she sat there like that, forcing herself to take shaky breaths as she slowly kicked her legs through the water in an attempt to ground herself. At some point she must have cried because she could feel tears drying stiffly on her cheeks. 

Eventually she heard the sliding door behind her open.

“Carrie?”

Of course it was Julie Molina who would find her like this. Clearly no one else was even looking.

“Did you come to rub in your great night?” Carrie asked without turning, hating that her voice sounded wrecked even to her own ears.

“I was looking for Flynn...are you ok?”

Julie stepped closer and Carrie did her best to turn her face away from the other girl’s gaze. Not

That it mattered. She was pretty sure Julie could hear the way her breath was still rattling in her chest, could see the way her entire form was shivering slightly.

Julie eased herself down next to her, legs crossed and face worried. She reached out and placed a hesitant hand on Carrie’s arm.

“Carrie, I think you’re having a panic attack.”

“I am not!” Carrie insisted even as she fought to take another deep breath. 

Julie only scooted a little closer, not removing her hand. 

“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You know I spent a whole year dealing with anxiety. Try to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.”

She took her own deep breath and blew it out as if to demonstrate.

Carrie found her body imitating Julie’s slow breaths against her will and it did seem to help. It also made her  _ furious _ . And in the end it was the growing anger within her that helped her feel more like herself and regain control. It always did.

Once she felt her body settle back into its normal rhythms she shook Julie’s hand off of her arm. 

“I said I’m fine. No need to act like you care.”

Julie had the nerve to look hurt by that. 

“I  _ do  _ care.” 

“Then why are you here, Julie?” Carrie finally allowed herself to turn and face the other girl. “Why would you perform at my party if not to get back at me?”

Julie sighed. 

“I know. Your dad asked us to and we thought it would be a good opportunity. But I knew you wouldn’t like it and I should have turned him down. I’m sorry.” 

Carrie chuckled humorlessly. 

“You’re sorry? After you already did it? That’s convenient.”

“Honestly, I didn’t think it would upset you this much. I thought you would be annoyed, not sad.” 

“I’m not sad!” Carried insisted, knowing her words weren’t convincing either other of them. “I just wish everyone could see what I see, that the great Julie Molina is just as selfish and ambitious as I am.”

Julie shook her head.

“How did we get like this, Carrie? You tell me because I honestly don’t know. We were  _ best  _ friends and then we drifted apart and the next thing I knew you hated me.” 

Carrie took a moment to gather her thoughts before answering. It wasn’t a conversation she’d ever particularly wanted to have with her former friend but she felt too worn down tonight to be anything but honest. 

“Do you remember when we performed at that album release party of my dad’s?”

Julie’s face scrunched up in confusion and Carrie absolutely hated that it was so completely clear the memory barely meant anything to the other girl when it haunted her to this day. 

“We were like ten, Carrie,” Julie said, confusion evident in her tone. 

“Yeah, and we sang together and I was so excited and then everyone just wanted to talk about Julie and her  _ amazing _ voice.”

Julie’s face scrunched up again. Did she really still not get it?

“Even my dad spent the whole night saying how talented you were and it was like I wasn’t even there.”

Julie took in her words for a moment before responding.

“I don’t remember it like that. I thought we were having fun together. And anyway, we were ten. That’s not a reason to hate someone for five years.” 

Carrie gripped her legs so hard she wouldn’t be surprised if her fingernails broke her skin. 

“Sure, except it never stopped! From that day on it was always ‘Julie is so talented’ and ‘Julie’s voice is so beautiful’. I only ever got compared to you and I never came out on top.” 

Julie reeled back as though Carrie had slapped her. 

“Carrie...I didn’t...that’s why you stopped being my friend? Why didn’t you just talk to me?”

Carrie scoffed.

“What would that have changed? I saw the writing on the wall. I was  _ always  _ going to be compared to you. The only thing I could do was not stand so close.” 

Julie took a deep breath, her own breathing sounding shaky now. 

“I didn’t know.” She said softly.

“Yeah, well now you do.” Carrie replied harshly, hating that she didn’t like hearing the hurt in Julie’s voice. “And the last few months have just made everything worse. You sat things out for a year and just when I was finally getting somewhere you decide to stage a comeback and ruin everything.”

“That’s not fair,” Julie said. “My mom...you know my mom died. It took me that long to find music again. I didn’t do it to hurt you.”

Carrie felt tears threatening to escape again. 

“But you still did! I’m sorry about your mom, I really am. She was always nice to me. But at least you had a mom who loved you. At least you weren’t some burden your groupie mother dropped off on your dad’s doorstep and never looked back.” 

Julie didn’t respond for a moment and Carrie had time to regret letting that much slip. Julie knew her mom wasn’t in her life of course, knew that she never had been. But Carrie had never stated the circumstances so blatantly before. 

Her mother had been the first person not to want her. She hadn’t been the last.

Somehow now that the floodgates had opened she couldn’t bring herself to stop. She couldn’t stop the words escaping her mouth or the tears that had once again started escaping her eyes.

“And now Nick...now Nick left me too. He’s acting like a completely different person. And of course he wants you. Of course he does.”

Julie shook her head strongly at that statement. 

“Nick and I aren’t dating. I don’t have those kind of feelings for him, I promise.” 

Carrie reached up to swipe tiredly at the stubborn tears still making their way down her face. 

“That’s not the point, Julie. The point is you could have him if you wanted him. Just like you can have everything else.”

Julie sighed.

“I’m sorry you think that, Carrie. My life isn’t perfect, far from it.” 

Carrie knew deep down that there was truth to Julie’s words but she couldn’t let herself accept them, not really. If she did the entire life she had built for herself, everything she had told herself to get through the last 5 years would come crumbling down and all she would be left with were the things she had done that she wasn’t proud of.

“You know we may not be friends anymore but we don’t have to be enemies,” Julie offered earnestly. 

Carrie shook her head, meeting Julie’s gaze with genuine regret. 

“I don’t know how to be anything else with you.” 

Julie opened her mouth as though to protest but was interrupted by the buzzing of her phone from the ground next to her. 

Julie picked up her phone and swiped to open the text. 

“It’s Flynn, she left already. She’s going to meet me at my house.”

Carrie cleared her throat and struggled to draw herself back from the unexpected moment of vulnerability she knew she would deny the next day. 

“You should go meet her.”

Julie hesitated. 

“Carrie…”

“Go.” Carrie didn’t leave any room for argument in her tone but she did offer Julie a small smile that slid off her face as quickly as it appeared. Something else she would deny tomorrow. “Your best friend needs you.”

Julie sighed and stood, sending Carrie one more regretful look. 

“I am sorry about tonight, Carrie.” 

Then she was gone. 

And Carrie was alone. 

Just like always. 


	18. Do I Feel Cute?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so it’s time to get Flynn’s perspective on what happened at the party. I know you guys have been waiting for this one. I don’t know if this will satisfy everyone but all I can say is there is a plan. 
> 
> A character is mentioned in this chapter named Brad. I’m picturing this as the kid from the lacrosse team who is standing right next to the coach while he rants during the first dance class scene. I’m pretty sure it’s the same kid who comes up to congratulate Nick after the dance performance. But I don’t know what that kid’s name is supposed to be so...Brad.
> 
> I will be really, REALLY interested to see what you guys think of this one so please leave a comment if you have a second. Thank you all for being wonderful!

Flynn set the projector on the fancy marble mantel and flipped the power switch just as the opening notes of Dirty Candy’s first song boomed through the room. She was grateful Julie had added a battery pack after their performance at The Basement so she didn’t have to worry about crawling around Carrie’s floor looking for an outlet. 

She figured it couldn’t hurt to have the projector turned on before the band performed. It would be easy enough to explain that it didn’t project anything until the boys turned on the camera on their end. And honestly she had too much on her mind to stand guard and flip a switch that in reality did nothing. 

She loved Julie more than anything and getting to see her friend claw her way back from her lowest

low to her highest high filled Flynn with pride. But she had to admit when that first letter had turned up in her locker a part of her had felt a thrill of excitement that wasn’t just about the possibility of romance. 

This was something that was  _ hers _ . 

Flynn took a steadying breath and smoothed down her skirt, giving herself one more second to pull herself together before she went in search of her secret admirer. She was more nervous than she wanted to admit but as Julie and her boys would say...it was now or never.

Forcing herself to stand straight and walk with confidence, Flynn began pushing her way towards the center of the crowd. A few people shot her annoyed looks as she squeezed in between them but she only muttered “sorry” and kept going. She was on a mission and she wouldn’t be sidetracked by any of Carrie’s devotees. 

When she reached what she estimated was roughly the center of the crowd she stopped and looked around as she tried not to shift anxiously on her feet. 

At first she didn’t see any likely candidates. No one seemed to be paying attention to anything but the girls dancing on the stage and she certainly didn’t see anyone holding a rose and staring romantically into the middle distance. 

Maybe she had been reading too many of her grandma’s romance novels again if that was what she had really been expecting. 

She was about to push deeper into the crowd to keep looking when a figure a few feet away turned slightly to the side and... _ there _ . 

A pink rose clutched by the stem.

Flynn tried to ignore the pounding of her heart as she let her eyes trail from the rose up to the arm, then the torso and eventually to the face of the guy in question. 

And then her heart  _ really  _ kicked into high gear. 

Because she recognized him. And he was  _ cute _ . 

Flynn gave herself half a second only to get it together before taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders.

“You’ve got this, Flynn,” She whispered to herself. 

Apparently it wasn’t quite quiet enough because the new kid next to her shot her a confused look. 

“Not now cello kid,” Flynn muttered.

She forced herself to take one step and then another until she had reached her target. 

He was facing away from her, but she would know that tousled blonde hair and impressive height anywhere. 

She reached up and tapped his shoulder, arranging her face in what she hoped was a confident smile as he turned and saw her. 

“Brad, hi,” Flynn started. She wasn’t sure where to go from there but figured since he was the one who had pursued her so elaborately he could take the lead now. 

Unfortunately instead of breaking out into a blinding smile and gushing over how amazing she was his only reaction was to frown slightly.

“Flynn, hey.” 

Ok, so that reaction was a little underwhelming compared to what she had built up in her head but that was ok. Maybe he was nervous too. 

“So...I got your message. Messages. Plural. I got all of them.” 

Brad squinted down at her as though she was speaking a foreign language. 

“What messages?”

Flynn tried to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach. The gap between the way she had imagined this moment, over and over if she was being completely honest, and the way it was actually playing out was only growing wider by the second. 

“I mean…” Flynn gestured at the rose he held trying to grasp any remnants of the excitement she had felt a few moments ago. “That’s for me, right?”

Brad glanced down at the rose he held before moving it subtly behind his back. 

“Uh, no it’s for Carrie. To congratulate her on her performance, you know?”

Flynn heard murmurs rising up around them, somehow the hissed whispers making their way to her ears even over the pounding bass of Dirty Candy’s music. 

They had an audience and Brad’s eyebrows were practically escaping off of his face he had them raised so high in apparent confusion. 

“You really don’t know what I’m talking about?” Flynn asked, her sinking feeling progressing to a full on weight threatening to pull her down to the floor. “You didn’t ask me to meet you here?”

Brad’s eyes widened and he glanced to his left and right taking in all of the people whose attention was now firmly on the scene playing out before them. 

“I’m sorry, Flynn, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.” 

Flynn glanced around and caught more than a few giggles as some girls from the dance team abandoned watching the performance in favor of the entertainment playing out right in front of them.

“You didn’t see anyone else with a rose, did you?” She asked, grasping on to any straw available to her. 

“Uh, no. If you don’t mind I kinda want to watch this.”

Flynn felt tears pricking at her eyes as Brad turned back towards the stage and more giggles and whispers broke out around her.

Flynn blinked hard, forcing the tears back and spun to face the girls to her left. 

“Mind your business.”

She pushed past them and cello kid who looked sympathetic. 

She managed to make it out of the crowd before the tears managed to break through but there was no stopping them once they started. 

Flynn headed directly for the door where the man with the clipboard was standing looking as bored as ever. 

She reached up and wiped at her face hastily. She knew she was fighting a losing battle. There was no way anyone who looked at her for more than five seconds was going to be fooled into thinking she wasn’t a wreck. But pride still forced her to try to pull it together.

“Uh, Trevor said one of his drivers could take me home. You the one that can make that happen?”

The man examined her dispassionately, before nodding towards the looped driveway. 

“Follow me,” He exited the house without checking to make sure she was following. 

Flynn half jogged to catch up as he led the way past several black cars to the identical one at the front of the line. The man opened the car door and gestured for Flynn to get in. She barely had both her legs in before he was slamming the door shut.

Clearly her emotional state wasn’t enough to gain her any sympathy from clipboard dude.

“Where to?” The driver asked from the front seat.

Flynn considered for a moment. She was supposed to be spending the night at Julie’s but the thought of having to explain what had just happened was less than appealing. The thought of ever having to face anyone she knew again was actually enough to have her considering fleeing the country.

Still better to get her explanations over with tonight and then  _ never  _ think about what had just happened again. 

Flynn gave the driver Julie’s address and then sank back into the seat and closed her eyes as the stream of tears slowed down to an occasional trickle. She would text Julie when she got back to her friend’s house. If she did it now she wouldn’t have a head start and she needed a head start to get herself together. Besides, Julie was probably in the middle of an epic performance right about then. 

Just because Flynn’s big plans had fallen flat in the biggest way possible didn’t mean that Julie shouldn’t have an amazing night. 

Flynn tried to keep her mind from wandering back to what had just happened but it was hard. It wasn’t just that she had been humiliated in front of a lot of people, though that certainly had been incredibly unpleasant. It was that this whole secret admirer thing had been this special, magical thing just for her to hold onto for weeks now. 

When she was experiencing one of her moments of self doubt and feeling like nothing more than Julie’s sidekick as Carrie had so eloquently put it, the thought of those notes and that rose pulled her out of it. 

She felt stupid now for so many reasons, not the least of which was letting her sense of self worth getting wrapped up in the opinion of someone who she couldn’t even put a name to. She was so good at acting confident but at the end of the day was her persona as hollow as she suspected Carrie’s was?

She and Julie had been a little bit invisible before the whole hologram band shake up had come into their lives skyrocketing Julie to the top of the high school food chain.

And just for a moment, right before Brad had looked right through her, she had felt seen too.  _ Really  _ seen.

Now she felt worse than invisible. She felt like a joke. 

By the time the driver pulled up in front of Julie’s house Flynn felt tears pricking at her eyes again. She decided she didn’t want to face Ray without Julie by her side and headed to the garage to wait for backup. 

She shot off a quick text letting her friend know she had already left the party and that she would meet her in the studio before pulling open the door and slipping inside.

She sunk down on the floor with her back resting against the couch and pulled her knees up to her chest, resting her cheek on them and taking a shuddering breath. 

She felt the tears starting up again and decided she’d better do her best to get them all out now before Julie got back. The last thing she wanted to do was have her best friend find her in such a pathetic state. They were always there for each other no matter what but she wasn’t eager to have Julie walk in on a high from her performance and immediately have to comfort her. 

She was just considering the possible merits of changing her name and dropping out of school when a sound from deeper in the garage startled Flynn out of her thoughts.

What was that? 

“Is somebody in here? If there’s a ghost in here you’d better announce yourself right now.”

Then right in front of her eyes a notebook and a pen floated off of the coffee table and through the air towards where she sat.

She knew ghosts were real, she  _ knew  _ that. She also knew the ones likely to be in Julie’s garage were friendly (and cute). But that didn’t mean she could fight the instinct to let out a short shriek at the sight which she cut off as quickly as possible by covering her mouth with her hands. 

She felt a shift in the air next to her as if someone sat down and the notebook settled on the floor while the pen hovered over the blank page it was open to.

She watched with a mixture of fascination and horror as the pen moved over the page.

_ SORRY  _

“It’s ok, you just startled me.” Flynn sniffled, the shock having stopped the flow of tears for the time being. “Can I ask which one you are? You aren’t all here, are you? That would be embarrassing.”

The pen moved over the paper again.

_ JUST REGGIE. ALEX IS OUT. LUKE WAITED FOR JULIE. _

Flynn nodded, amazed how fast she was adjusting to communicating with what was from her perspective nothing more than a magic pen. 

Still. 

She was glad it was Reggie who was the ghostly witness to her distress. From Julie’s descriptions she knew Alex was sweet but sarcastic and Luke was sweet but emotionally awkward. Reggie was the only one she described as just straight up sweet. 

She could use some of that right now.

The pen had continued writing while she was deep in thought.

_ ARE YOU OK? _

Flynn considered for a moment. How honest should she be with a confidant she couldn’t even see? Then again maybe he was the perfect person to talk to. He couldn’t exactly tell many people by default.

“Not really,” She admitted.

She described what had happened in probably a little too much detail. She wasn’t sure how much he knew about the entire secret admirer situation though she assumed he must have picked up on something along the way. So she started from the beginning and led right up to the moment she had power walked out of Carrie’s mansion, humiliated and lonely.

When she finished her story she was met with silence though she really didn’t know why she had expected any different.

“Anyway, thanks for listening. I know it’s not a big deal compared to everything you guys have going on but...it still sucks.” 

_ SO WHAT DO YOU THINK HAPPENED _ ? 

Flynn sighed. 

“I have no idea. As far as I can tell either the notes weren’t from Brad and the real culprit didn’t bother to show up or it  _ was  _ Brad and he...took one look at me and changed his mind.” 

_ NO WAY. YOU LOOK GREAT AND YOU’RE AWESOME.  _

Flynn smiled, tilting her head at the empty space next to her.

“Thanks, ghost dude. Don’t tell the others but you’re officially my favorite.”

_ DO YOU WANT ME TO CHEER YOU UP? _

Flynn considered for a moment. It felt unlikely that an invisible aura could lighten her mood except...hadn’t he already done that? At least a little.

“Ok, Reg. Can I call you Reg? Give it a go.”

The notebook floated up from the floor and off to the side as though the boy next to her was trying to hide what he was writing. The pen flew over the paper for several minutes, scribbling and crossing things out and then scribbling again. 

Finally he must have been satisfied with whatever he had written because the notebook made its way back to the floor and scooted a little closer to Flynn.

She reached down and picked it up, curiosity getting the best of her. What exactly did a musician ghost do to cheer up a living girl?

She read the scrawled text to herself, a disbelieving grin growing on her face as she went.

_ When Flynn comes riding in  _

_ There’s not a cowboy who doesn’t grin  _

_ From the saloon to the barber’s  _

_ She stole everybody’s hearts, ah  _

_ Oh Flynn  _

_ And I’d hang up my boots and spurs _

_ If she only told me I could be hers  _

_ It’s been just me and my trusty steed  _

_ But she’s got what I really need  _

_ Oh Flynn _

Flynn turned again to the seemingly empty space beside her. 

“Did you write me a song? A  _ country  _ song? 

The notebook was lifted out of her hands and the pen moved across the page again before it was held out towards her.

_ I SHRED ON THE BANJO. _

Flynn chuckled without meaning to. She really did feel a little better.

“Now that I’d like to see. Here, let me read my song again.”

She reached out to take the notebook back but yanked her hand back startled almost immediately. Her fingers had brushed against what had distinctly felt like another person’s hand and there was only one candidate for who that hand belonged to as unlikely as that may be. 

“I just felt you! How did I feel you? I thought that was just a Julie thing.”

_ THAT HAPPENS SOMETIMES NOW.  _

Flynn reached out slowly waving her hand gently through the air until she made contact with something solid. She patted her hands up slowly until she made contact with what she was pretty sure was a shoulder. She continued upward trying to map exactly how much space he took up beside her. She made contact with a decidedly softer  _ something _ which she realized quickly had to be the skin of his face.

She pulled her hand back withan embarrassed jerk.

“Sorry.”

The pen scratched over the paper again. 

_ IT’S OK. DO I FEEL CUTE?” _

Flynn rolled her eyes but she couldn’t stop the giggle that escaped her at his silent words.

“Death really didn’t slow you down, did it, buddy? Is flirting your way to cheer me up?”

_ IS IT WORKING?  _

Flynn shrugged, playing it cool even though she knew the smile on her face gave away her answer before she ever said it. 

“Maybe.” 

They sat in companionable silence for a few moments before Flynn stretched her foot out until it bumped into what she could only assume was the foot of the boy next to her. 

“Thanks, Reggie. I’m really glad Julie found you guys.” 

_ ME TOO _

And that was where they were when Julie and she could only assume Luke made it back to the garage. 

Julie looked surprised to see Flynn sitting on the floor beside her band’s bassist but she didn’t remark on it. She just sank down onto the floor on Flynn’s other side and wrapped her arm around her shoulder, leaning her head down to meet hers. 

Flynn enjoyed the feeling of her best friend’s warmth and the barely there brush of an invisible body that let her know Reggie was lightly pressed up against her other side. 

She knew that eventually she was going to have to tell Julie what had happened and she wasn’t looking forward to reliving it all. 

But for now she was happy to be where she was, with the company she had. 

Maybe she really was in the band after all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooooo...that happened lol.
> 
> No, the secret admirer subplot is not in fact over. We don’t know exactly what is going on but we do have a suspect. 
> 
> And we got some unexpected (maybe) cuteness. 
> 
> One more chapter coming to wrap up the party from one more character’s perspective before we move on to other events. Who do you think it will be?


	19. Good to be back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter that takes place the night of the party. This one feels like a crossover between two characters and two storylines that have been mostly separate so far so that’s fun. 
> 
> I don’t have too much to say in my note today other than you guys are awesome! I’m loving reading all of your theories about Flynn’s “admirer” and what exactly various characters might be up to. Please keep sharing your thoughts!
> 
> Enjoy!

Caleb walked away from Carrie with a renewed sense of purpose. His host’s ex-girlfriend wasn’t a distraction he had time for at the moment which was a shame in a way. She was one of the only lifers he had encountered during his current undercover operation who had any hint of a flair for the dramatic. 

She was a little maniacal and more than a little self-obsessed but those were traits Caleb could appreciate. This was to say nothing of her penchant for sparkly ensembles. It was really too bad she was still alive. He could use that passion in his club. 

Still, he wasn’t a monster. He would gladly murder those who wronged him or those who threatened his control but he wasn’t in the business of killing innocent young girls just for their potential entertainment value. 

To serve as a method of revenge? Absolutely. 

But unlike Julie, Carrie had no use to him in that arena. 

So Caleb left her with his message of tough love informed by the memories dear old Nick had left behind and strode forcefully toward the stage. 

His main purpose at this party wasn’t getting a hit of Julie’s soul energy but there was no point in missing out on the opportunity while they were both there. 

And he had to say, compared to the grungy basement he had sought them out in previously this mansion was much more acceptable. Sure, it was a little lacking in personality for his taste but it was a marked improvement. 

As he neared the stage he caught sight of Julie and her undead love sick puppy scanning the crowd. 

He stopped in front of the stage and heard Julie whispering to the ghostly boy beside her. 

“Let’s split up, I’m worried about her.” 

Luke nodded and poofed out before almost immediately poofing back.

“What do I do if I find her?”

“Good point,” Julie whispered. “Just come find me if you see her, ok?”

He snapped his fingers, nodded and poofed out again. 

Caleb shook his head.

Amateurs, all of them. 

Julie jogged down the stairs leading from the stage and began pushing her way through the crowd not noticing his presence at all. 

Well, that wouldn’t do. 

Just as she passed him Caleb reached out and caught her wrist yanking her back a few steps. 

He wasted no time opening the connection between them knowing his window for a taste tonight was limited. 

He didn’t  _ have  _ to be touching her to draw from her. It was just so much faster. 

Julie frowned as she whipped around, eyes dropping first to his grip on her wrist then to his face. 

“Ouch, Nick you’re hurting me.”

Caleb drew one last surge of energy from the girl before closing the connection and yanking his hand away from their point of contact. 

“I’m so sorry, Julie! I was just trying to get your attention, it's so loud in here.”

Julie rubbed absentmindedly at her wrist, already backing away. 

“Sorry, can’t talk right now. I need to find Flynn. Thanks for coming!” 

She gave him a slightly strained smile then disappeared into the crowd. 

Caleb adjusted the cuffs of his shirt and grinned as he watched her go. 

It was really too easy.

Now he just had to kill some time so he could carry out his true purpose for the night with a little more privacy. He decided to head for the kitchen to see if there was a lax server who might be convinced to provide a seeming teenager with a little champagne. 

Really, there were some decided inconveniences to using a sniveling teenager as a host.

By the time he emerged back into the main area of the first floor the place was all but empty. A few lingering guests were gathered at the door waiting for their vehicles to be brought to them but the party was clearly over. 

But on the far side of the room in front of the mantel Caleb’s target was standing near the wall, fiddling with one fake hologram band’s fake hologram projector. 

Really, lifers were pathetically predictable.

Caleb crossed the room and approached the one and only Trevor Wilson from behind. 

“Find anything interesting?”

Trevor jumped and turned to face him, almost dropping the device he held in his hands. 

“Nick, you’re still here? Should I have a car take you home?”

He ignored the question.

“That isn’t yours, is it?” He gestured to the projector clutched in Trevor’s hands.

Trevor glanced down at what he held guilty. 

“I was just making sure it wasn’t broken. I’ll get it back to Julie.” 

Caleb took a step closer, allowing his face to shift into a knowing smirk.

“Let’s drop the pretense shall we? Your interest in that little toy isn’t altruistic and I...well, I’m not Nick.” 

He shifted his eyes to purple smoke before allowing them to flicker back to normal. 

Trevor reeled back, stumbling into the wall. 

It really was a delightful trick. Seeing a lifer react to that little crowd pleaser never got old. 

“Who are you?” Trevor stuttered. “ _ What  _ are you?”

“I’m the one who has an offer you can’t refuse,” Caleb waved his hand and held out the cd insert that appeared there towards Trevor.

At first he refused to take it, only staring like a deer caught in the headlights. 

“Come on now,” Caleb waved it in front of him again. “It’s no fun if you don’t play along.” 

The aging rockstar finally reached out and grabbed the paper with shaking fingers, unfolding it to reveal his own face along with his former friends. 

“Where did you get this?”

Caleb rolled his eyes.

“Now, now, Trevor, you’re asking the wrong questions. Or should I say...Bobby?”

“What do you want?” Trevor asked in a trembling voice. 

“I want to help you,” Caleb insisted. “You want to know how your dead friends made their way back into the land of the living. And it just so happens they want very badly to speak to you. I’m just here to facilitate that.”

Trevor shook his head several times as if he hoped when he stopped none of this would be happening.

“No, no. This isn’t real. This is just a manifestation of my stress and survivor’s guilt. Somehow Julie found old images of my band and used them to make some kind of AI holograms. That’s all. That has to be all.” 

Caleb raised an eyebrow as the man before him ranted to himself. 

Lifers really were so simpleminded. It was no wonder so many of them died young under idiotic circumstances.

Bad hotdogs, indeed. 

It was hard to believe that  _ this  _ one had been the lone survivor. He certainly hadn’t escaped an untimely death through any great show of intelligence if his current behavior was anything to go by. 

“I think it’s time you faced reality,” Caleb broke in. “Holograms from old footage don’t perform new songs or display frankly embarrassing levels of flirtation with teenage girls on stage. They’re  _ ghosts _ and I think you know that.”

“None of this makes any sense.” Trevor muttered. “Ghosts and possession or body snatching or whatever. This has to be a dream.” 

“The dream has been the life you’ve been living while your friends missed out on everything life had to offer. But you can make up for that by giving them the closure they need. What do you say?” 

Trevor hesitated, glancing down at the projector he still clutched to his chest. 

“The answers you seek won’t be found in that piece of junk. I’m the only one who can let you  _ talk  _ to them.”

Trevor looked back up, hope flickering in his eyes.

“You can make that happen?” 

“All it takes is a handshake.” 

Caleb held out his hand and after another moment’s hesitation Trevor reached out and gripped it in his own, seemingly acting quickly before he changed his mind. 

Caleb gathered all of the excess soul energy they had collected for this specific purpose and poured it into the man before him, focusing it on the ghostly ability he wanted to bestow. 

Trevor writhed slightly as the power seeped into him, his face contracting in pain and confusion as it flowed through him. 

When Caleb withdrew his hand a purple stamp glowed from Trevor’s wrist before disappearing. 

“What did you do you me?” Trevor asked, fear evident in his voice.

“I gave you a gift. The next time they’re here you will see and hear your former bandmates even when they’re not performing. You’re welcome by the way. They’ll come to you I’m sure so for now just be patient.”

Caleb turned, bored with the conversation and more than ready to leave but Trevor’s voice hissed after him.

“What about Nick? What have you done to him?”

Caleb sighed and turned back to face him. 

“I merely  _ borrowed  _ him. When he is no longer useful he can have this body back. No harm no foul. Satisfied?”

Trevor shook his head.

“He’s a good kid. Let him go.” 

Caleb rolled his eyes.

“Thank you for your suggestion. I’ve taken it under advisement and decided against it.”

“Stay away from my daughter,” Trevor bit out. “I’m going to warn her about you. And Julie.” 

Caleb’s expression hardened and Trevor reacted by shrinking back.

“Now that you can’t do. All part of our deal. You are physically incapable of telling anyone about any of this and even if you weren’t your soul would be forfeit if you tried.” 

“I didn’t agree to that deal.” Trevor snapped.

“The stamp on your arm says differently.” Caleb smirked. “I don’t have time to explain it all to you right now. Suffice it to say you owe me. And I decide when that debt is paid.”

Trevor looked horrified and that was gratifying.

Caleb did so enjoy his work and it had been awhile since he really got to go for it.

“Oh, don’t look so glum.” Caleb grinned, clapping Trevor on the shoulder. “If it’s any comfort I have no interest in hurting your daughter. Just sit tight and wait for that doorbell to ring. Got it?”

Caleb didn’t wait for an answer before spinning on his heels and walking away, whistling as he went.

Oh yes, it was good to be back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like Caleb would appreciate Carrie on a certain level. Just me? Ok.


	20. So much for an exit plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so glad you guys seemed to enjoy Caleb’s chapter and have so many theories about what’s going to happen. Keep them coming! I love hearing them even if I can’t confirm if anyone’s right just yet.
> 
> This chapter is mostly a bridge between the events of the party and the next big thing that’s coming. We’ve got some band banter, a little Carlos, some fallout from the party, and some Luke and Julie time.
> 
> The end was supposed to be fluffy but it ended up more angsty than anything. I hope you still enjoy it! 
> 
> As always please let me know what you think. 
> 
> Enjoy!

The next day the band was in the garage, gathered around an object sitting on the coffee table, all staring at it as if it might explode any minute. 

“Tell us again.” Luke said, keeping his gaze on the object that currently held all of their attention.

Julie sighed.

To be fair she had already recounted the event three times but one more couldn’t hurt.

“There was a knock on the door. It was some guy who works for Trevor. He said we left it there and Trevor asked him to drop it off. He gave me the bag and when I looked inside it was our projector.” 

Julie gestured to it, conforming the obvious. 

“That’s it?” Reggie pushed. “He didn’t say anything else?”

“Oh you mean like, ‘my boss wanted me to let you know that he examined this and knows it’s fake and your holograms are ghosts’?” Julie asked, feigning as if she had just had an epiphany.

“Yeah!” Reggie sat up and leaned forward.

“No,” Julie said as Alex rolled his eyes at Reggie’s gullibility. “He didn’t say anything else.”

“Oh.” Reggie flopped back in defeat. 

“So do you think he knows?” Luke wondered aloud even though he was pretty sure he knew the answer. 

How could he not know when he had the thing in his hands? It wasn’t exactly high technology by 90s standards let alone compared to the pure science fiction stuff everyone carried around now.

“And what, he just sent it back to mess with us?” Julie suggested. “He was always so nice to me as a kid I just don’t see it.”

“Yeah, well maybe we shouldn’t have taunted him with Now or Never Part 2.” Alex admitted.

Julie groaned.

“I didn’t even put that together until  _ after  _ we performed it.” She insisted. “I can’t believe none of you pointed out to me what a terrible choice of song that was.”

“It felt like a great choice at the time,” Reggie shrugged.

“Or maybe we didn’t think about it either?” Luke tried knowing that he wasn’t fooling anyone.

Julie shot him a look. 

“ _ Right _ .” 

“Ok, so we wanted to stick it to him just a little.” Luke acknowledged. “Sorry.”

Julie sighed.

“It’s fine. That’s the least of our problems right now.”

“So what do we do?” Reggie asked, looking back and forth between his bandmates.

It was Alex’s turn to shrug. 

“What can we do? So far he hasn’t done anything to confront us and I say we consider ourselves lucky and hope that continues.”

“That’s very chill of you, buddy,” Reggie smiled.

Alex reached back to physically pat himself on the back. 

“Thanks, it’s something I’m trying out.” 

“I’m proud of you, man.” 

Luke and Julie exchanged a look before he shook his head affectionately at his friends’ antics. 

His doubts about Alex’s newfound chill ways aside, Luke couldn’t disagree with Alex’s take. If Bobby had suspicions there wasn’t much they could do about that until he chose to act on them. 

Hopefully he never would. 

Luke was still so angry at their former guitarist but he tried not to think about it these days. Of course his anger over the past was nothing compared to what their new music meant to him or what Julie meant to him for that matter. But that didn’t mean he had let his grudge against Bobby go.

Not really. 

But as long as they could keep Bobby out of sight he did a pretty good job of keeping him out of mind too. 

He very much wanted to keep it that way.

He couldn’t risk losing what they were building because he lost control and did something stupid.

He couldn’t risk losing  _ Julie _ .

“But if we do end up needing a plan, I vote Julie puts a curse on Bobby.” 

Luke was brought out of his thoughts by Reggie’s comment and Alex’s groan.

“Excuse me?” Julie asked incredulously.

“I’m just saying I think the whole witch thing might be back on the table. You did summon us the other night.” Reggie said, looking around for support and finding none in his fellow ghosts.

“You should talk less,” Alex informed his friend, patting him on the shoulder. 

“I’m here! Everyone can relax. Your next level of stardom starts today!”

Carlos chose that moment to burst through the garage doors, posing dramatically even though his entrance was greeted with only silence.

Carlos looked over at Julie.

“Are they applauding?” 

Reggie immediately started clapping but lowered his hands when Luke shook his head in his direction. 

“This is our marketing team,” Alex sighed.

“Half our marketing team,” Julie corrected.

“Where is Flynn by the way?” Reggie asked just a little too casually.

Luke shared a look with Alex over their bassist’s head. 

The night before when he and Julie had found Flynn and Reggie bonding it had seemed at the time like a one off situation but maybe Reggie didn’t see it that way. 

Ok, that was too weird to contemplate at this moment but they would definitely be circling back around to Reggie’s interest in Flynn’s whereabouts later. 

“She and her mom are going shopping today. She might come by later.”

Carlos broke in, throwing his hands up in frustration.

“You realize I can’t hear most of you and this has just been a long, awkward silence for me, right?” 

Luke laughed. He couldn’t deny that it must be pretty obnoxious to be around them even though he found it amusing. 

“Sorry, little dude.” Reggie chuckled.

“Such professionalism,” Alex remarked sarcastically. 

“Sorry, Carlos.” Julie apologized on their behalf. “What’s up?”

“I thought we could get started on our mission to convince the world you’re a hologram band. I want to film some interviews and some performance shots.” 

They agreed to try it mostly to humor Carlos and it was a bit of a mess. 

They figured out that if Julie was playing the piano in the background and the boys fiddled around lightly on their instruments they could be picked up on Carlos’ phone as he filmed them. 

Getting usable footage was a different story. 

“So what do you think is the hardest part of being in a hologram band?”

Carlos moved around Luke with his phone extended as he tried to concentrate on playing his guitar and answering the question. 

“Uh...probably all the hologramming and...stuff.”

“Wow. Convincing.” Alex scoffed.

“Shut up,” Luke muttered, strumming his guitar aggressively out of frustration. 

Julie giggled and stopped playing.

“Great, now he’s gone!” Carlos huffed as Luke blinked out of existence for him. 

Luke turned to Julie and gave her his best puppy dog eyes.

“Julie,” He whined. “Save us.” 

She chuckled and shook her head. 

“I don’t know this is kind of amusing.”

Alex and Reggie also seemed to be finding this entertaining. 

Reggie was imitating Luke’s plea for help while Alex egged him on. 

Luke made a mental note to make them pay for their betrayal later.

“Julie…” He begged. 

She gave him a smile that  _ almost  _ made his agony worth it. 

“Carlos, let’s call it a day, ok?” Julie told her brother.

Carlos rolled his eyes.

“Fine. Call me when you’re ready to take my art seriously.”

Carlos left the garage and Luke sighed in relief as he put down his guitar. 

“That went well.” Julie joked. 

“Juuuuuulie,” Reggie shot Alex a conspiratorial look as he drew out her name in a clear effort to mock Luke. “Save me...save me, Julie.” 

“That’s it, you’re dead.” Luke chased Reggie around the piano as the bassist dodged him.

“Well...duh,” Alex remarked from his position just to the side of the chaos. 

“Hey,” Julie reached out and caught Luke’s wrist as he ran by. 

Luke screeched to a halt at the feeling of her hand even though he continued to shoot Reggie dirty looks over her head. 

“I’ve got some new lyrics I really want to get your thoughts on.” 

She looked up at him and Luke found himself forgetting why he had been chasing Reggie around in the first place.

“Yeah, of course.” 

He heard the way his voice got softer when he responded to her and he wasn’t particularly excited to have his friends hear that but he also was beyond thinking he had any control over it. 

He defied anyone to resist Julie Molina when she was looking at them like  _ that.  _

“I left my notebook inside. Do you just want to work on them in my room?”

Luke shrugged, faking casualness in what he hoped was a convincing manner but knew deep down wasn’t fooling anyone.

“Sure.” 

Julie stood and pushed her hair behind her ear before smiling at Alex and Reggie.

“See you guys later, ok? It’s just not quite ready for the group to work on yet.”

“Sure,” Alex nodded forcefully. “Definitely.” 

“What can you do?” Reggie asked, a grin spreading across his face. “It’s just not ready for the group.” 

Luke glared at them briefly but chose not to comment on their heavy sarcasm as he followed Julie out of the studio and towards the house. 

When they made it to Julie’s room she immediately flopped down on her bed and grabbed a pillow to hug. Luke sat down next to her and waited for her to produce her notebook so they could get to work.

When Julie made no move to retrieve any notebook Luke gave her a quizzical look.

“So where’s this song you want to work on?”

Julie just looked around as though she thought they might have an audience before gifting him another one of her signature smiles.

_ Oh _ . That was really playing dirty. 

“I actually don’t have one. I just figured you needed an exit plan.” 

She said it like she was extremely proud of herself, like she had pulled off some intricate heist, like Alex and Reggie hadn’t clearly been aware their leaving was mostly about wanting to be alone for a while. 

Cute. 

Luke felt a lazy smile stretch across his own face as he leaned a little closer to the girl next to him. 

“Oh, so you  _ lied _ to rescue me from the boys. My hero.” 

Julie’s eyes widened slightly as his favorite blush spread across her cheeks. 

“Um, we could still write if you want to.”

“Nah.” Luke flopped backwards until his back hit her bed, leaving his legs dangling over the edge. “I’m good.” 

Julie tossed her pillow aside and eased back until she was lying next to them, her legs hanging over the edge as well. 

They stayed like that in companionable silence for a few minutes, Julie kicking her legs gently and bumping her feet against Luke’s periodically.

Finally Luke broke the silence. 

“So...Reggie and Flynn?” 

Julie quickly rolled to her side so she could face him.

“ _ Right _ ? That was weird. I mean I’m glad he was there for her after some jerk stood her up last night but you don’t think he... _ likes _ her, do you?” 

Luke rolled on to his side too, propping his head up with one hand. 

“Maybe. Weirder things have happened.” 

Julie frowned. 

“Have they?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Luke asked, his face scrunching in confusion. 

“I just mean...she can’t even see or hear him. And she’s still wrapped up in this secret admirer thing and everything that’s going on with his sister. Isn’t that a recipe for disaster?” 

Luke saw her point, of course. But it didn’t seem like Julie to jump to the negative. 

The idea of Reggie possibly having a crush on Flynn was weird for sure but when they had walked in last night his friend had looked  _ happy _ . Surely that was a good thing. 

He told Julie as much and watched as her face dropped even more.

“I just...I just hope he can stay that way.” She said softly, her expression hard to read. “That it doesn’t hurt more when…if it doesn’t work out.”

Luke was pretty sure they weren’t just talking about Reggie at this point. 

“Oh.” He answered unhelpfully. 

“Yeah.”

They both rolled onto their backs again, lapsing into a silence less comfortable than the one a few minutes ago. 

Luke tried not to let his mind wander to what a future for Reggie and Flynn...for him and Julie could look like. Even worse were the thoughts about what a future for them  _ couldn’t  _ look like. 

It didn’t matter and it mattered too much all at the same time.

Refusing to let the silence become any thicker than it already was Luke reached out and grabbed Julie’s hand with his. He gave it a gentle squeeze which she quickly returned. 

He wasn’t sure he and Julie would ever be able to move forward. But the one thing he did know was he couldn’t go  _ back _ , not anymore. 

Not since Willie had told them all of their crappy options and his first thought had been how them leaving would effect Julie. Not since he tried to hold her hand. Not since he finally  _ succeeded _ . Not since her falling asleep next to him had become something that happened more than once until it felt wrong when he wasn’t there to make sure she was ok. 

Not since “no music is worth making if we’re not making it with you” and actually  _ meaning  _ it. 

So much for an exit plan. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They were originally just supposed to be cute and cuddle I promise lol. Oops...


	21. Reggie Sullivan was my brother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy. Todays’s chapter is going up later than normal but it’s also a monster. It’s more than twice as long as my average chapter and it’s another one that’s emotional and possibly depressing. I hope there are enough nice moments to get you through. 
> 
> This may be over sharing, but I feel like we’re friends at this point. I don’t really believe in signs or anything but last night as I was working on this chapter Charlie posted a clip on Instagram of him singing High Hopes by Kodaline. That’s the first song I listened to after my brother died. I woke up in a hotel in another state after having seen that and needed a song to make me want to get up and that was it. 
> 
> So. Needless to say I was a mess last night trying to write a chapter about a sister reconnecting with her brother. The whole “every birthday realizing I’m older than my big brother got to be” thing? Yeah, that’s me. So anyway. If this one sucks we’ll blame the emotional overload. But I’m pretty happy with how it came out.
> 
> And there’s also some revelations in this chapter I bet you guys will have thoughts on.
> 
> Thank you so much for all your lovely comments and support! 💜

The rest of the week passed without any further disasters or even anything particularly interesting happening. 

Julie had a few study sessions with Nick, practiced with the band and once fell asleep at the dinner table nearly face planting in her reheated spaghetti. But the weekend had finally arrived and she wasn’t exactly planning to rest.

In fact she was planning to stage her second attempt at a ghost family reunion in search of closure for one of the most important people to her, who happened to be dead. 

It really was an oddly specific process to be gaining so much experience in. She would do it a hundred times if it would bring her boys peace though. 

Unlike the situation with Luke she didn’t want to spring her plans on Reggie so when she found him watching cooking shows with her Dad that Friday night she beckoned for him to join her upstairs.

He poofed out and beat her there, so by the time Julie made it to her room Reggie was already lounging on her bed with his arms behind his head.

She couldn’t help but smile at how comfortable he looked in her space despite her repeated attempts to keep the guys out of her room. She would probably never stop lecturing them about boundaries and she knew she deserved her own time and privacy. But she also couldn’t deny how right it felt when one of them was lounging there.

And the proof was the fact that she was smiling. Again. Before they had poofed into her garage she couldn’t remember the last time she had smiled in a way that reached beyond the surface, in a way she felt all the way inside. 

And even with all the crazy things that had happened and all of the times things had gone wrong it still felt like she had been smiling almost constantly since they came into her life.

“Are these pillows new cause I swear your bed gets more comfortable every time I’m in here.”

Julie crossed the room and climbed onto the bed next to Reggie, sitting cross legged next to his sprawled form.

“No. I’m pretty sure that’s just what happens when you get used to hanging out on a 25 year old couch. Or in the shower.”

“Hey, that shower is surprisingly comfortable,” Reggie insisted as Julie just shook her head affectionately.

Julie tried to think of the perfect way to lead into the conversation she’d called him up there to have but in the end couldn’t come up with anything better than just diving straight in. 

“So, Reggie...I was thinking about your sister. Do you still want to go see her?”

The mood in the room immediately became more serious as Reggie sat up and cleared his throat.

“Uh, yeah, I do. I know it won’t be the same. She’ll be older and we won’t really be able to talk or anything but...it just feels wrong to know she’s out there somewhere and not go make sure she’s ok.”

Julie reached out and placed what she hoped was a comforting hand on her friend’s knee.

“You’re a good big brother, Reg.”

He managed a smile. 

“Can I even call myself that at this point?” 

“Of course!” Julie reassured him. “Weird, ghostly time travel aside you will always be her big brother. And honestly…”

She trailed off not sure if this was the time to make that particular statement or if the time would ever come. She knew that in reality she hadn’t actually known the guys that long but that fact seemed impossible to reconcile with how much they meant to her already. 

Sensing her hesitation, Reggie nudged her gently with his foot.

“What is it?”

“I kind of feel like you’re my big brother too. I know this isn’t about me but...I love you, Reggie. I know things are so complicated but I’m glad you’re here.”

There was a brief moment of silence during which Julie had just enough time to wonder if she had overstepped when his face crumpled adorably and he practically leapt across the bed to pull her into a crushing hug. 

“I would be honored to be your big brother, Jules.” 

“Thanks, Reggie,” Julie mumbled from her position smushed against his shoulder. 

She could barely breathe but she wasn’t in a hurry to pull away. Eventually though he released her and sat back. 

“So, anyway. How would you feel about the two of us going to see her tomorrow?”

Several emotions flashed across Reggie’s face in the space of an instant. Fear, excitement, hope. 

“You figured out where she lives?” He asked expectantly.

Julie shook her head.

“Not exactly. Her Facebook page is locked down pretty tight. All I could really see was her photo and her age. But in the photo she’s wearing a T-shirt with the name of a bakery on it and I think that might be where she works. It’s worth a shot.”

“A bakery?” Reggie repeated, thoughtfully. “She did always like donuts.”

Julie refrained from pointing out that most 3 year olds probably liked donuts. It was sweet that Reggie was trying to make connections between the little girl he had known and the woman they hoped to meet.

“Yeah. Like I said there’s no guarantee but I figure it’s a good place to start. We can go tomorrow afternoon if you want?”

Reggie nodded gratefully and Julie reached out to squeeze his hand.

“Now what do you say we go downstairs and finish Top Chef with my dad?” Julie suggested earning her a genuine smile from Reggie.

“Perfect. Spending time with Ray always relaxes me.” 

Julie chuckled still not sure how that could possibly be the case but glad it seemed to be true all the same. 

They spent the rest of the evening watching television in her living room with Reggie bantering with her dad who was none the wiser. Still. It was good to see her friend happy.

The next day Julie and Reggie stood outside of Sunrise Bakery. It was right around the corner from the beach, not far from where Reggie’s house used to be. It was a small shop, sandwiched between two larger and flashier looking businesses but it definitely had the most personality. 

Sunrise Bakery was painted on the window in swirling letters in different shades of pink, purple and orange. The door was solid and wooden, the type you would expect to see on an older house not a business. It was also painted a deep pink which added to the whimsical vibes the place was giving out. 

Julie glanced over at Reggie to check his reaction. He had told her repeatedly that he wanted to do this but thinking about it theoretically and facing the reality were two very different things.

Reggie swallowed harshly before turning to face her. 

“You’ve got a plan right?” He asked, nerves evident in his voice.

Julie nodded, hoping she came across more confident than she actually felt.

“Trust me.”

Well, now her sense of déjà vu was complete. She tried to remind herself that things had worked out ok with Luke’s parents but her own nerves were threatening to get the better of her. With Luke’s family she had a specific mission, help his mom realize he had wanted to make up with her.

Reggie’s situation was different. He wanted to know about his sister’s life and he wanted to know what had happened to his family. That wasn’t exactly an easy conversation to start with a stranger.

Still. 

She was going to give it her all. 

With one last nod of confirmation from Reggie, Julie pulled open the door and stepped inside. A bell tinkled gently to announce their arrival and the young man working behind the counter looked up to smile in greeting.

It was a cute bakery. The space was small overall but there was room for quite a few small tables and chairs scattered haphazardly around the space and a case absolutely packed with every kind of treat you could imagine. Julie’s mouth was practically watering instantly as the smell of fresh baked bread and cakes hit her right away. 

“Can I help you?” The man behind the counter asked as Julie approached the register.

“Yeah, I was wondering if someone named Sammi Sullivan works here?”

Before the man could answer another voice sounded from the doorway leading to the staff area.

“Sammi? Nobody’s called me that since I was a kid.” 

She stepped into view and Julie felt Reggie stiffen next to her. She fought the urge to reach for his hand, wishing so badly she could hold it during this moment. 

It was the woman from the picture they had found on Facebook. Julie knew she was 28 but she thought she actually looked a little younger. She had pale skin and dark hair like Reggie though hers was styled in a wavy bob that just brushed the tops of her shoulders. She wore a black tank top under a bright pink apron with the name of the bakery embroidered across it. 

She was gorgeous. 

Julie realized she had let the silence stretch probably just a little too long and gave herself a little shake. She had to remember it was up to her to keep this conversation moving. 

“Uh, yeah, sorry about that.” 

Reggie’s sister closed the distance between them until they were only separated by the counter. Her coworker wandered off to wipe down some tables leaving them alone. 

She offered Julie a friendly if confused smile.

“Nah, it’s ok. I like it. Anyway, how can I help you?”

Julie took a deep breath and tried not to look in Reggie’s direction. She wasn’t sure she could do this if she saw the expression she imagined was on his face. His silence was a bit worrying but she had to press ahead or they would both lose their nerve.

“So my name’s Julie. I’m working on a school project, um an oral history actually and my topic is this band my mom used to be into. I think your brother was in that band.” 

Julie knew right away she must have said the wrong thing. The friendly smile slid off of Samantha’s face and her expression shuttered. 

“I see. What did you say your name was?” She asked, her tone flat and stiff.

“Julie.” She could hear how small her own voice sounded.

“Julie. Well, I’m sure you don’t mean any harm but I don’t think I can help you.” 

“Do I have the wrong person?” Julie asked, struggling to come up with a way to save this quickly spiraling situation. 

“It’s her,” Reggie whispered, the first words he had spoken since they entered the bakery. 

Samantha shook her head.

“Reggie Sullivan was my brother. But I don’t really want to drudge it all up again. To you it may be a weird story you stumbled across of a band that died after eating bad hotdogs but this is my life. I’m sorry.”

Reggie made a small choked noise and Julie had to curl her hand tightly to keep from reaching for him. Her fingernails dug into her palm to the point of pain. She had to save this. She had to make her understand. She had to help Reggie.

Samantha had already turned as if she planned to disappear back into the staff area when Julie managed to gather her thoughts enough to call after her.

“Wait!”

Samantha turned back, her expression guarded.

“I’m sorry. You’re right. The last thing I want to do is cause you pain. It’s not just for a school project. I picked this topic because your brother’s band actually used to rehearse in the garage of my house. I feel so connected to them and I...I know what it’s like to lose someone you love. I just feel like it could help us both to tell your brother’s story.”

Julie paused, realizing she had just word vomited all over the situation and could definitely have made things worse. 

Luckily when she took in Samantha’s face it was opening with realization. 

“Are you...Julie Molina?” 

Now it was Julie’s turn to be shocked into silence.

“How does she know your name?” Reggie asked, his voice soft and shaky.

Julie had the same question. 

“That’s me. How did you know that?” 

Samantha ignored her question and called out to the guy wiping the tables.

“Rob, you think you can handle running the place for awhile?”

The guy looked around the deserted bakery before looking at her as if to say he was pretty sure he could handle it.

Samantha sighed. “Point taken. I’ll be back.”

She turned back to Julie. 

“Let’s go upstairs and talk, ok? Do you want a cookie? I’m getting you a cookie.” 

Julie managed a quick glance at Reggie while his sister was bent over selecting a cookie from the display case. He looked as shell shocked as she felt but luckily the confusion seemed to have overtaken any less pleasant emotions he could be experiencing in the current situation. 

Once Samantha had straightened up and handed Julie a huge cookie wrapped in paper she gestured for the younger girl to follow her to the back. After they stepped through the swinging door, she pointed to a set of stairs leading down to the right. 

“That’s where we do all the baking.” 

She then pointed to a set of stairs on the left leading up. 

“And this leads up to my apartment. We can have a little privacy to talk up there.”

Julie couldn’t help but think they wouldn’t actually have as much privacy as she thought but she didn’t think now was the time to point that out. Or ever. 

“You live above the bakery?” She asked instead. 

“Well, I have to be down there baking at 4am so it helps,” Samantha answered as they reached the top of the stairs and she took out a key to unlock the door there. “Comes with the territory of owning a small business. It’s got to be your whole life for awhile.”

“You own this place?” Julie hadn’t expected that. 

“Yep,” Samantha pushed open the door to her apartment and gestured for Julie to go in. “We just opened last year and business has been slow. But I don’t just give up on my dreams. We’ll turn it around.” 

Julie smiled as Samantha pointed toward the table and invited her to sit.

“That’s a family trait, huh?” 

Samantha had been busying herself making them some tea but she frowned over her shoulder at Julie’s words.

Julie scrambled to undo any damage she had just done.

“I just mean your brother was pursuing his dream too, wasn’t he?”

Samantha hummed in agreement and turned back to what she was doing. 

Julie sighed in relief and shot Reggie a quick look to check up on him. He was sitting on the edge of a nearby couch, looking around the room in wonder. His gaze caught on something and Julie followed his line of sight to see what had his attention. 

It was a framed photo on the wall of Reggie looking very much like he did now although he was wearing a plain T-shirt and flannel minus the leather jacket. He was laughing and facing away from the camera, eyes focused on the little girl he held on his hip. A little girl with a haze of dark curls who was looking at him adoringly. 

Oh, Reggie. 

Julie didn’t have time to react further because Samantha was sitting down across from her at the table placing a mug of tea in front of each of them.

“Thanks,” Julie said gratefully. 

“Try your cookie,” Samantha prompted.

Julie obediently took a bite and practically moaned it was so good.

Samantha seemed satisfied with that reaction. 

“Right? We may not have name recognition but our stuff is good. Now, I think we probably have some questions for each other, right?”

Julie nodded, not sure where to even begin at this point. Luckily Samantha seemed to be prepared to take the lead for now.

“I’m sorry if I scared you at all down there, it just suddenly clicked when you said you lived in the house where they used to rehearse. I knew your Mom when I was younger. I only saw her a couple of times after she got married but I can see her in you now that I’m looking for it.”

“Really?” Julie was told she looked like her mom often but it never got old.

Samantha nodded. 

“Definitely.”

“How did you know her?” Julie asked, leaning forward in her eagerness for answers.

“Shouldn’t we start at the beginning? And don’t you need to record this?”

Julie stared at her blankly for a moment.

“For your history project?” Samantha prompted.

“Right! Right, yeah, totally.” Julie pulled out her phone and set it to record. “So um…”

She glanced over at the boy still sitting on the edge of the couch. 

“What can you tell me about Reggie?”

Samantha took a deep breath and a sip of tea before beginning.

“Honestly, I wish I could tell you more. I hate that if anyone remembers him and his friends it’s as this weird, LA folklore, right? The kids who died by hotdog! That’s why I wasn’t exactly the friendliest when you started asking about him. But I was so young when he died. I have fragments of memories. The two of us watching cartoons. Him carrying me on his shoulders. But sometimes I’m not even sure if we really did those things or I just want to think we did, you know?”

Reggie stood and moved towards the table.

“We did! We did do those things.”

“I’m sure you did,” Julie tried to assure her.

“Anyway, apparently his band was gaining some traction but of course I don’t remember that. They died on what was supposed to be the night of their first big showcase.”

Julie nodded. She was all too familiar with that particular chapter of the story. 

“What happened after that? I saw that your old house is gone now.”

If Samantha thought it was odd that Julie knew where she used to live, she didn’t mention it. Luckily she seemed too wrapped up in the memories now to be suspicious. 

She waved her hand dismissively.

“Oh yeah, they bulldozed that whole neighborhood about 15 years back. But none of us lived there at that point anyway.” 

“What?” Reggie asked, whirling towards Julie a pleading look on his face. They were getting close to the things he wanted to know but she knew she had to tread carefully.

“Um, your family had already moved?” She asked in what she hoped was a casual tone. She took another bite of her cookie for good measure.

Samantha chuckled but it didn’t seem like she actually found the situation funny.

“We had moved but we weren’t a family by that point, not really.”

Reggie’s head dropped as if that one sentence had confirmed all of his worst fears. Julie felt tears pricking at her own eyes but tried to force them down. 

“Reggie’s death must have been so hard on all of you,” Julie offered sympathetically. “Did your parents talk about him a lot?”

Samantha’s eyes shot to the photo on the wall and Julie’s heart clenched at the thought that she didn’t know the real thing was standing right in front of her.

“My family wasn’t in a good place before we lost Reggie. I don’t remember much but it’s not hard to put it together. After he died it was like my parents just couldn’t pretend anymore. They split up. My mom moved out. I see her on holidays and we talk on the phone a few times a year but she was never really the same. She doesn’t talk about my brother. I think she wants to but it’s just too hard.” 

Reggie collapsed back onto the edge of the couch.

Julie swallowed hard and tried to push forward wanting to get this part over with.

“So you stayed with your dad? Did he talk to you about Reggie?” 

Samantha sighed. 

“You have to understand my father was an angry person. He talked about Reggie sometimes but...it wasn’t usually nice stories. He complained about him. Blamed him for the way his own life turned out. It wasn’t fair and it doesn’t change the way I remember my brother but...it wasn’t exactly comforting. He passed away a few years ago.”

“I’m sorry,” Julie didn’t know what to say. 

Reggie had his face buried in his hands. He didn’t seem to be crying but he wasn’t doing well.

Julie was starting to think she had made a huge mistake by bringing him here. 

She felt tears gathering in her own eyes and despite her best efforts a few of them escaped.

Samantha reached over and put her hand over Julie’s. She really was Reggie’s sister, sweet to a fault.

“Hey, don’t be, sweetie. I can tell you’re a good kid and I’m sorry to unload my sad family history on you. But you know what? I have a great life. I’m happy. I’m pursuing my dream in this place and I have great friends and I wasn’t alone growing up. I had Trevor.”

Reggie’s head shot up at that and Julie felt her own eyes widening to an extent that would probably be comical under different circumstances. 

“Trevor? Not...Trevor Wilson?” Julie asked.

Samantha sat back and gave her a strange look.

“Well, yeah. I figured you knew since that’s how I met your mom. They were close when I was younger.”

“No way…” Reggie’s voice was hoarse as he croaked out his surprise.

“Trevor was close to my mom?” Julie couldn’t make the information sink into her mind. 

It was true she had been friends with Carrie from such a young age she couldn’t actually remember how they had met. But surely it wasn’t because her mom and Trevor were besties. Why wouldn’t either of them have ever mentioned it to her?

Samantha looked well and truly confused at this point.

“Julie...he gave her that house you’re living in. He made it big and bought his parents a new place when he was only 19 and gifted her the house where he grew up. I never got the details, didn’t hear the story until years and years later but yeah. I don’t know how they knew each other but it’s not exactly a casual present.” 

“This doesn’t make any sense,” Reggie was pacing now. “Bobby gave your mom the house? How did they even know each other? And what did he have to do with my little sister?”

Julie felt a little dizzy as all of this new information washed over her.

“Not many people know this but Trevor was actually in my brother’s band. His name was Bobby then. After they died I think he wanted to make sure I would be ok. He probably knew Reggie’s home situation wasn’t good. It wasn’t a big secret.”

Reggie reached up to wipe at the tears that had finally escaped.

“So Trevor was around when you were growing up?” Julie asked disbelievingly.

Samantha held up her finger as a gesture to indicate Julie should wait and then disappeared to a bedroom. When she emerged she had a photo album in her hands. 

“Here.”

She set the album in front of Julie and flipped it open before sitting back down. 

Julie paged through the images, each one surprising her more than the next. There were photos of Samantha, Sammi, as little more than a toddler on a young Trevor’s shoulders. There were photos of a slightly older little girl building a sandcastle while Trevor held her bucket looking proud. There was even a photo of the two at Disneyland. 

Julie looked back up. Reggie had been looking over her shoulder and his face was a mixture of confusion, regret and relief. She could see all three warring for dominance second to second.

“So Trevor’s been in your life all this time?”

Samantha nodded.

“Once I went off to culinary school, which he paid for by the way, and he had a daughter of his own we saw each other less often but he’s always there if I need him. He was my first investor in this place.” 

“Wow.” Julie sat back, so many thoughts running through her mind she couldn’t get a handle on them. 

Clearly Reggie felt the same.

“I can’t...I need to think.”

He poofed out and Julie wished not for the first time that she had a similar ability so she could just follow him. She hated the thought of him out there on his own trying to process all of this.

Still, she couldn’t just run out on his sister.

“Do you think you got enough?” Samantha interrupted Julie’s racing thoughts.

“What?”

She nodded her head in the direction of Julie’s phone.

“Oh!” Julie quickly stopped the recording on her phone and stuffed it back into her pocket. “Yeah, definitely plenty.”

She stood, knowing her attempt at an exit would appear abrupt but needing to find Reggie as soon as possible. 

Samantha stood too. 

“Well, make sure you come back to the bakery ok?” She offered. “It’s a great place to work on homework and you can’t beat the snacks. You’re welcome anytime. Tell your friends.”

Julie didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at hearing Reggie’s signature catchphrase from the mouth of his sister. 

Maybe it was a sign? Was she supposed to cross the invisible boundary she had set for herself?

“Samantha, do you believe in ghosts?” She asked the question quickly before she could think better of it.

Samantha’s expression softened and she reached out to take one of Julie’s hands in both of hers.

“I tried to. Every year since I turned 18 I’ve spent my birthday thinking about the fact that I’m older than my big brother ever got to be. Trust me I’ve been to every physic, bought every set of tarot cards, the works. And do you know what I think?”

Julie shook her head, not trusting herself to speak as tears once again gathered in her eyes.

Samantha smiled softly. 

“I think most times a ghost is a wish. A wish we had more time, a wish that we could share all the scary and terrible and wonderful moments of our lives with the people we lost. And that’s a little sad but it’s also beautiful. Because if we choose to make them a part of our life nothing can really take them away. We get to choose.”

Julie gave up the fight and let the tears flow freely. 

“Is it weird if I give you a hug?” Samantha chuckled through her own tears.

Julie shook her head and went willingly into the other girl’s arms.

“I know this may sound crazy, but I feel like I know your brother and I just want you to know wherever he is he’s really, really proud of you.” Julie managed to get out as they pulled away from their embrace.

Samantha smiled and squeezed Julie’s hand one more time.

“I know your mom’s proud of you too, Julie.” 

Julie wanted to believe that more than anything.

And in that moment, as more and more connections snapped into place, as sign after sign told her she was moving in the right direction, she knew it was true. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t worry we will not leave Reggie like this. He gets the whole next chapter to process and be comforted.
> 
> Also, I blatantly stole that “most times a ghost is a wish” from another, decidedly more adult ghost themed show on Netflix lol. But the rest of what Samantha says in that paragraph was me.


	22. Family after all

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, your response to the last chapter was amazing. All of your comments about my brother and about Reggie’s journey were so, so appreciated. 
> 
> The developments Sammi pointed to with Trevor’s character and how he relates to others will be addressed but not this chapter. This chapter is fully dedicated to taking care of our boy Reggie. He needs some love and he’s going to get it.
> 
> I feel really bad for making everyone cry last chapter and I worry one part in this chapter may do it again. Oops. Hopefully it’s happier tears though. The part in the kitchen was actually one of the very first scenes I came up with when thinking about this story and I’ve been working towards it for 22 chapters! Hopefully it’s worth the wait.
> 
> Enjoy! I would hug all of you if I could. 💜

By the time Julie made it back to her house she had managed to pull herself together. She was no longer crying and she hoped the evidence of her former tears wouldn’t be totally obvious. That might have been wishful thinking but still.

Her only thought was that she had to find Reggie. She understood why he had left, of course she did. Luke had a similar reaction and all things being equal he had received less of a shock than Reggie had. Not that grief and families were comparable. They were all just stumbling through the dark doing the best that they could. But Reggie had heard a lot of things that weren’t easy and she couldn’t live with herself if she didn’t at least get to offer to hold his hand while he processed them. 

She yanked the garage doors open and looked around frantically, her pounding heart settling ever so slightly when she spotted him slumped on the floor in front of the couch. He was in basically the same position she had found him in after the party only this time instead of Flynn it was Luke and Alex who bracketed him in with their bodies.

She was so relieved that he was there. True, Luke has come back to thank her but she suspected in this situation both he and Alex would have poofed out to parts unknown, wanting to be alone. But Reggie, sweet Reggie. 

All he wanted, all he _ever_ wanted, was to be able to go home. 

Her relief was short lived when she really took in the state her friend was in. He was crying, hard. Luke and Alex were curled around him from both sides, hugging and patting every inch of him they could get their hands on like if they just covered him up they could protect him from what he was feeling.

Julie approached the boy’s pile cautiously almost scared that if she startled them they would all disappear. She knelt in front of them and placed a hand on both of Reggie’s cheeks. He leaned into one of them for a moment and she felt her heart cracking open. 

She dropped her hands and rocked back onto her heels.

“Reggie…”

“Is she ok?” He asked, his voice hoarse.

Julie nodded fiercely.

“She’s fine. She loved you and she keeps you in her life and she’s _happy_ , Reg. She’s happy.”

* * *

Reggie nodded through his tears, taking a shuddering breath at Julie’s words. It was what he had wanted to hear so why did it only partially soothe the ache he felt in his chest where his heart should be?

Because he hadn’t been there to see it. Because apparently Bobby had been. Because somehow he was managing to be confused, and jealous and grateful for that all at the same time. Because his mom never talked about him and his dad had hated him, right up until the end, the end of not just Reggie’s life but apparently his father’s too.

“He didn’t hate you,” Alex insisted, his own voice sounding on the brink of tears. “That was just his way to deal.”

“And no matter what it’s not on you, bro,” Luke chimed in.

Oh. Reggie really needed to stop saying things out loud that he only meant to say in his head. 

“He blamed me for the family breaking up. He was ashamed of me.” Reggie sniffled.

He appreciated his friend’s words but it wasn’t what he really needed. He needed his family and they didn’t exist anymore, definitely not for him.

“Come on.”

Julie stood and held out a hand to Reggie. 

He glanced at his friends on either side of him who seemed none the wiser before looking back up at the girl in front of them.

“Where are we going?”

“Trust me.” It was the second time that day Julie had said that to him and she hadn’t let him down yet.

Taking a deep breath, Reggie placed his hand in hers and let himself be pulled to his feet as the boys somewhat reluctantly released him. 

Julie didn’t pause to explain her plan, just pulled him determinedly by the hand out of the garage and into the house. Luke and Alex trailed behind, clearly not wanting to leave him but wanting to stay out of Julie’s way when she was tugging him along with such a clear sense of purpose. 

She pulled him over to one of the chairs at the kitchen counter and pushed him into it. She gave his hand one final squeeze before releasing it and walking over to the bottom of the stairs.

“Dad!” She called upstairs. “Can you come down here please?”

Reggie turned to look at Alex and Luke who were standing awkwardly across the room. 

Alex shrugged and Reggie turned around trying once again to steady his breathing with no luck. 

Ray came down the stairs and placed an affectionate hand on Julie’s shoulder. 

“What’s up, mija?”

Julie reached up and grabbed her dad’s hand dragging him much the same way she had just finished dragging Reggie. She was a lot stronger than she looked. She deposited Ray on the other side of the counter across from him. 

Reggie sat a little straighter even though he knew he was as invisible to Ray as ever.

“Julie?” Her dad arched an eyebrow in question. 

“Just stay right there,” Julie insisted before rounding the counter and standing directly behind Reggie. 

Ray held up his hands in surrender and gave his daughter an affectionate smile as he waited for further instructions. He was so patient. Reggie loved that about him. 

Julie leaned down draping her arms loosely over Reggie’s chest and joining her hands until she held him in a loose embrace.

Reggie sucked in a shaking breath. To Ray it probably just looked like Julie was leaning somewhat awkwardly over the back of the chair at least that seemed to be what she was banking on. 

She leaned in even closer until her cheek was pressed tightly against his and their faces were as close as they could possibly be. 

“Julie?” Her dad prodded again.

“Dad, what would you tell me if I felt like I had let you down? If I felt like you were ashamed of me.”

Ray reeled back as if Julie had hit him and Reggie had to admit he sort of felt as if Julie had slapped him too. Was she…

“Mija...why would you ever think that? What’s going on?” 

He made to move around the counter and towards his daughter but Julie held up a hand to stop him.

“Please, Dad. Just look me in the eyes and tell me what you would say. Please?”

Ray sighed and still looked concerned but to his credit he did what his daughter asked. He leaned on the counter and met his daughter’s eyes.

And Reggie knew he was looking at Julie, he _knew_ that. But it _felt_ like Ray was looking right at him. 

“I would say that I love you. We all make mistakes sometimes but we figure them out together and we do better the next time. And I would say there’s no universe in which I could be ashamed of you. You are smart and special and talented and more importantly you are kind and an amazing person. I’m so proud of you.” 

Reggie felt his face crumple as he lost the battle to hold back more tears. These ones felt different though. Somehow they felt more like a release than a reminder of how hopeless everything was. 

Julie’s arms tightened ever so slightly around his shoulders, holding him steady.

“And what if it wasn’t me?” 

Ray cocked his head to side, clearly trying to keep up and failing. 

“If it wasn’t you?”

“What if you had another kid who was all of those things would you be proud of them too?” Julie pushed.

Ray chuckled. 

“I do, you may remember your little brother.”

Julie shook her head, shaking Reggie’s right along with it. 

“Not Carlos. Just a hypothetical kid who was talented and funny and kind. Would you be proud of them?”

Ray seemed prepared to make another joke but clearly sensing Julie’s seriousness only met her ( _their_ ) eyes again and answered.

“I would be proud to be anyone like that’s dad. So proud.”

Reggie let a sob escape and he thought he heard both Alex and Luke sniffling somewhere in the background. But he wasn’t sad anymore. He felt like something that had been broken in him a long time ago was being crazy glued back together. 

He felt like he had a family after all.

After Ray’s speech Julie had needed to spend a considerable amount of time convincing her dad that everything was fine and she didn’t doubt his love for her at all. In the meantime the boys had poofed back out to the garage where Luke and Alex had insisted on wrapping him in another group hug though this one was far less depressing than the last one had been. 

They basically tackled each other and competed to see who could squeeze the (undead) life out of each other the most. 

Julie eventually joined them again and got involved though she quickly announced their hug was too rough for her and extricated herself as they laughed. 

“Girls,” Luke rolled his eyes.

“Hey, I could definitely take you,” Julie insisted.

“Easily,” Alex agreed.

“Come on, Reg, you’re on my side, right?” Luke pleaded earning him Reggie’s first genuine smile of the day. 

“Sorry, dude. It wouldn’t even be close.”

They all laughed and goofed around for an hour or so until eventually they drifted off in their own directions. 

Julie had to go in to help her dad get ready for dinner and Alex had plans to see Willie. It took a lot of convincing but Luke eventually admitted there was a band playing downtown he wanted to see. He tried to talk Reggie into coming with him or letting him stay home with him but eventually gave in.

Reggie really was feeling better. He wanted some time to process his own thoughts before they had to have an inevitable more in depth conversation about all the revelations that had come from their visit to see Sammi. 

He also just wanted to picture her face a little. Part of him still hated that it wasn’t the face of the little girl he had known but a bigger part of him felt warm just thinking of any version of his sister. 

He was lounging on the couch thinking how right Julie was about its relative comfort level and how maybe they should try to convince Ray to pay for an upgrade when the doors to the garage opened.

He sat up curiously and was greeted with Flynn poking her head in awkwardly. 

“Greetings ghost boys…if you’re here...I hope someone’s here.”

There was no response of course and Reggie grinned at the way her face scrunched up in embarrassment.

“Great Flynn, you’re officially talking to yourself in empty garages. Real high point.” 

Reggie decided to put her out of her misery and reached over to turn on the lamp next to him.

Flynn jumped and put her hand over her heart.

“Geez, we have to come up with a better system of making yourself known, ghost dude. Dudes?”

She stepped all of the way into the garage, her trusty backpack resting on one shoulder.

Reggie picked up the notebook on the coffee table and started towards the girl still hovering in the doorway when she held up a hand to stop him. 

“Actually, we don’t need that. Can you just like...knock twice on something if you’re Reggie?”

He dropped the notebook back to the table and closed the distance between them, reaching out to knock twice on the door.

Flynn jumped again but tried to play it off.

Reggie laughed. 

“Great! So anyway, I heard from Julie that Luke wasn’t too thrilled that we were having conversations in his lyrics notebook. So I brought you something.”

She swung around her backpack and reached inside pulling out a black hardcover notebook. It wasn’t dissimilar to Luke’s but instead of band stickers this one was covered in doodles Flynn had clearly cut out and glued on. 

There were little logos for both Julie and The Phantoms and Sunset Curve. There was a red bass. And there was a doodled version of him, leather jacket and comically oversized head and all. 

“I mean you don’t have to use it if you don’t want to, I just thought it might help and I wanted to thank you for the other night. And the other guys can use it if they want to and...yeah. Sorry, Julie’s the artist. This was the best I could do.” 

Reggie smiled and reached out to pull the notebook gently from her hands before she managed to talk herself into taking it back.

He flipped it open and waited expectantly until Flynn seemed to get it.

“Oh! Here.” She reached back into her backpack and handed him a sparkly, purple pen.

Reggie balanced the notebook as best he could from a standing position and scrawled across the first page:

_PROPERTY OF REGGIE AND FLYNN_

Flynn grinned at that. 

“Great! Well, I’m supposed to be having dinner with Julie but I’ll talk to you later? Well...I’ll talk. You’ll write. Whatever.” 

Reggie flipped the page and wrote:

_WRITE TO YOU LATER. THANKS, FLYNN._

She grinned and flipped her hair as she backed out of the garage. 

“Anytime ghost dude! Remember you’re my favorite!”

Then she was gone. 

Reggie flopped back onto the couch tracing the doodles on the front of his new notebook.

He couldn’t say everything was ok. It might never be. But that had been true when they were alive too. But he had been pretty lucky back then with his chosen family.

He felt even luckier now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So am I forgiven for the tears last time lol?


	23. Connections

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, finally a chapter that isn’t sad though there may be parts some of you don’t like. Julie talks through what she’s learned with her dad, Flynn and Julie have a heart to heart and Julie has another study session with Nick that does not go great. 
> 
> I have accepted that this story is going to most likely be a 100,000 word monster and I apologize if that’s not what you signed up for. It wasn’t my plan either but here we are lol. I have an outline of all the chapters to come though. 
> 
> Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Julie had been avoiding talking to her dad for a little over 24 hours. Well, that wasn’t strictly true. They had talked about what they should have for dinner and if she had done her homework and how, yes, she was really sure she knew he could never be ashamed of her. 

But they had not talked about the one thing Julie knew she needed to ask him about ever since she had come back from Sammi’s bakery. Why had Trevor Wilson given her mom a house? A house they still lived in. She wasn’t sure exactly why she was so nervous to ask him. 

She thought part of it was that after everything she was finally starting to feel some semblance of peace with her mom’s memory and now she was just learning more and more things that made Julie wonder how well she really knew her mom at all.

She couldn’t put it off forever though. So that Monday she came downstairs early while Carlos was still in the shower and sat down across from her dad at the table. He was sipping from a mug of coffee and reading the paper. He still insisted on reading a physical one which Julie found both quaint and a little ridiculous. 

“You’re ready early,” Ray observed over his coffee mug. “Big test today?”

Julie shifted in her seat, trying to vent any nervous energy and get her question over with.

“Actually, I wanted to ask you about something.”

Ray’s face immediately took on a more serious expression and Julie once again regretted the fact that she had freaked him out so badly in her quest to get through to Reggie. She would do it again a hundred times over but it was going to be awhile before her dad truly believed she was ok. 

“Nothing bad,” She assured him quickly. “Just...why didn’t you and mom tell me that Trevor gave her this house?”

Whatever her dad had been expecting her to say that had not been it. He set his coffee down so abruptly he narrowly missed splashing it all over himself.

“Trevor told you that?”

Julie was hoping she could just brush past that question. 

“Is it true?” She countered instead. 

Luckily Ray didn’t seem to notice that she had chosen to answer his question with another question. 

“Yes, it’s true.” He shrugged as if this wasn’t the most ridiculous piece of information he had ever imparted on his daughter. “And as for why we didn’t tell you...look, mija, it’s not like it was a dark family secret. Your mom just didn’t want you feeling indebted to anyone especially because you and Carrie were friends. And by the time you two grew apart it had been such a long time ago. It just seemed easier not to rock the boat.” 

“But why would he give her his house?” Julie insisted. “Were they friends?”

Ray nodded again. Julie didn’t understand how he could discuss all of this so calmly when it was completely shattering her idea of their family history. 

“They were very close but this was 23 maybe 25 years ago before I even met your mom.” He explained. “She was in her early 20s and struggling financially when he got his big break. He bought his parents a big, new house and offered this one to her. We met about a year after that. This house has been a blessing to us, Julie. And Trevor’s never held it over us.” 

Julie just couldn’t reconcile this new reality with the one she thought she had been existing in. 

“That’s how Carrie and I met? Why didn’t they ever mention being friends?”

Her dad closed his newspaper and gave Julie his full attention. 

“By the time you two were born Trevor was on tour all the time and your mom had her own life going on too. They just naturally drifted apart as their lives changed but they made sure you kids had playdates. You and Carrie were the sweetest little friends.”

Yes, then she grew up to be a demon. Julie managed not to voice that thought. And really she didn’t believe that, not totally. Carrie had proved just the other night that she wasn’t as simple a villain as she appeared. Julie couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her. Clearly the other girl was lonely and insecure. She was still mean most of the time though and that was on her.

“Where did mom meet Trevor Wilson anyway?” She asked instead. 

“Oh, your mother was never very specific,” Ray said. “I think at one of the clubs where she was working? Makes sense for a musician.”

Julie had a sudden, terrible thought. 

“They didn’t...date did they?” Julie couldn’t help the way her nose wrinkled in disgust at the image.

Ray rolled his eyes and slapped her hand gently with his newspaper.

“No.”

Julie breathed a sigh of relief.

“And that’s it, right? No other weird family secrets?”

Ray opened his newspaper again.

“Well, there is still your adoption and Carlos’ alien abduction but maybe we should cover those another day.”

It was Julie’s turn to roll her eyes but she did it with a lot of love and appreciation. Her dad’s jokes may be bad but the events of the last few days had only served as a reminder of how many reasons she had to be grateful for him. 

By the time Julie made it to lunch that day her mind was still swirling with thoughts of Trevor and her mom. And it wasn’t just them either. 

Her mom was connected to Trevor who was connected to Sammi who was connected to Reggie. And of course Trevor was directly connected to all of the guys. And maybe her mom too. Did she just have the Sunset Curve shirt because Trevor had given it to her or had she actually met all the boys? Was she a fan or a friend? Now that she thought about it just because the boys said they didn’t know her mom didn’t mean they didn’t. She had never even shown them a proper picture of her from the right time period and…

“Julie, you haven’t heard a word I’ve said, huh?” 

Julie snapped back into the present moment only to be greeted by a less than impressed Flynn. 

“I’m sorry, Flynn. It was a crazy weekend. I’ve got a lot on my mind and I totally tuned out.”

Flynn’s expression shifted into one of understanding and Julie felt such a rush of love for her best friend in that moment. Her life had changed so much so fast and if she didn’t have Flynn to lean on she would have had no chance of adapting to all the craziness.

“I know,” Flynn nodded. “All the stuff with Carrie’s dad is a lot. And Reggie’s sister. I wish I had known he had just been through a major trauma before I showed up that night with my whole ‘what’s up ghost dude’ routine.” 

Julie shook her head and smiled.

“I’m pretty sure your ‘what’s up ghost dude’ routine did more to cheer him up than anything the guys and I did.”

Flynn grinned.

“Well, I am pretty awesome.”

Julie couldn’t argue with that. She considered whether she should mention Luke’s suspicions that Reggie might have a little crush on her friend but decided it was a little premature for that. Reggie had a lot going on and she hadn’t even heard it from him yet. She knew she had made the right decision when Flynn opened her mouth again.

“Speaking of which...I have to show you something.”

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper that looked ominously familiar. 

“Tell me that’s not what I think it is,” Julie said.

Flynn unfolded it and handed it to her.

“It might be. Just read it before you give me your speech, ok?”

Julie reluctantly took the paper and read it.

_ I’m so sorry I didn’t meet you at Carrie’s party. I really wanted to go and talk to you but I got so nervous. I like you so much and my anxiety was too intense. I never meant to stand you up. Forgive me? _

“Flynn…” Julie couldn’t help it. She was already shaking her head again. 

“I know. I know, ok? But anxiety is real. Maybe he really did just need a little more time.”

Julie couldn’t believe Flynn was even considering going down this path again. When her friend had finally told her all of the events Julie missed at the party she had been so angry on her friend’s behalf. And hurt. 

If somebody hurts you I’m going to get hurt too...that wasn’t just a lyric.

So why would Flynn be even entertaining this?

“I know anxiety is real but to leave you hanging like that? And besides are we just going to ignore the fact that Brad was standing in the right spot at the right time  _ with  _ a rose?”

Flynn shrugged.

“That could totally be a coincidence.”

Julie shot her friend a disbelieving look which Flynn returned.

“What? So now we can believe in ghosts but not coincidences?”

Julie sighed. There was that.

“Ok, point taken. But I just don’t want to see you get hurt. Again.”

Flynn nodded, reaching out to squeeze Julie’s arm in appreciation.

“I know. Thank you. But...I’m still curious. And it feels good to be liked, you know? Is that shallow?”

Julie reached out to return the squeeze Flynn had given her.

“Of course not. That’s human. Just promise me you’ll be careful?” 

She held out her pinkie and Flynn wrapped hers around it right away. 

“I promise. Don’t worry I’m not going for any more anonymous meetings. If he wants to talk to me he knows where to find me.”

“Yes!” Julie exclaimed, instantly feeling at least slightly more at ease with the situation. “You tell him.” 

“Speaking of knowing your worth and showing everyone how amazing you are...how is the prep for the battle of the bands coming?” Flynn asked, sipping from her can of soda as she waited for Julie’s answer.

“It’s ok,” Julie answered. “We’ve been practicing a lot. Luke and I are working on a new song for it but so far it’s not quite right. We may have to do an old one if we can’t fix it in time.”

“Well, luckily all of the songs you write together are bops,” Flynn assured her. “So old or new you guys are going to absolutely destroy the competition.”

Julie smiled. Her friend’s confidence in their musical abilities never wavered and she needed that.

“Thanks.”

“You guys practicing tonight? I could drop by.”

Julie shook her head, packing up her stuff since the bell was about to ring.

“I don’t think I’ll have time. I promised Nick we could go over a few different subjects tonight.”

“Ok, just don’t stretch yourself too thin. He’s a good guy but you can’t singlehandedly raise his grades.” 

She had a point but saying no, especially to someone she cared about, had never been Julie’s strong suit. It wasn’t that she couldn’t stand up for herself, she did when the situation called for it. But it was a lot easier to tell Carrie to learn some manners than it was to tell Nick she didn’t have time to help him.

So that night she found herself in the familiar position of sitting at her dining room table next to Nick with textbooks spread out around them. She had been in that position for a couple of hours now and she was starting to yawn repeatedly again. She wished she could stop doing that, it was embarrassing honestly. 

She also felt her eyes dropping like they had weights attached to them. Maybe she just found math boring but she was usually able to hide it better than this.

Luke had poofed into the house almost half an hour ago and had clearly not been happy to find Julie and Nick still studying. He had started out in his favorite spot on her kitchen counter but had now resorted to pacing and shooting Nick annoyed looks.

Julie tried to subtly wave him off but he refused to poof out. Really there were times when she wished her ability to see certain musician spirits had an off switch. 

Julie yawned again and Nick reached out to place a hand on her arm. Julie sagged even more before giving herself a little shake to bring herself back to the present moment.

“Have you been sleeping ok? You seem exhausted,” Nick observed, his hand still on her arm.

She wanted to answer him but her mind had gone a little fuzzy. 

Suddenly Nick’s chair scooted back a few inches with him still in it. 

He let go of her arm as he scrambled to grab the table to steady himself.

“What just happened?” 

What just happened, indeed? Julie looked up to glare at Luke who for his part did not seem to regret his actions at all. He didn’t even look like he found it funny like he had after the apple incident. He looked furious.

Julie turned back to Nick and scrambled for an explanation.

“Maybe it was an earthquake?” 

Nick looked behind him directly at Luke though of course he didn’t know he was there.

“Maybe it was. Or maybe it’s a sign we should call it a night. I hope you get a lot of sleep tonight, Julie.”

“Thanks, Nick.”

By the time the door had closed behind him Julie was already spinning to face Luke whose expression had not lightened at all.

“Why would you do that? Are you trying to make him realize my house is haunted? Because that’s the last thing we need right now.”

Luke took three quick steps until he was standing directly in front of Julie, so close that she had to tilt her head back a little in order to continue glaring at him. 

“You need to stay away from him, Julie.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to ending on cliffhangers...I know, I know...but I update fast so don’t throw eggs at me ok?


	24. Definitely not playing it cool

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go! From here on out the drama factor goes up and the plot starts rolling a little more quickly (though who am I kidding there will definitely still be chapters just for adorableness because of reasons). 
> 
> I don’t know what it says about me that once I finally got started (way too late last night) this chapter of all chapters just flowed out of me. I’m glad it did though! 
> 
> I think there’s a lot in this chapter that will make you guys very happy but also probably some stuff you will find frustrating. So...normal then lol.
> 
> I can’t wait to hear what you think!

Luke was not happy. 

He felt like he should be playing it cool and acting like he wasn’t bothered at all by the fact that Julie and Nick were  _ still  _ crowded around her table when he poofed in. He felt like he should be coming across as totally chill about the way Nick leaned in to point to something in the book in front of Julie, the way their hands brushed repeatedly as they passed papers back and forth. 

He felt like he  _ should  _ be playing it cool but he was also painfully aware that he was  _ not  _ actually playing it cool.

When he had first poofed in after already killing over an hour in the garage attempting to seem uninterested, he had taken up his usual position on the kitchen counter. He noticed there was rarely a bowl of fruit there anymore. Apparently Julie had taken precautions.

But after another half an hour of watching Nick practically playing footsie with Julie beneath the table he couldn’t take it anymore. He hopped down from the counter and started pacing near them. He knew Julie wasn’t happy about it. Her reaction progressed from more subtle disapproving looks all the way up to frantically gesturing for him to leave when Nick wasn’t looking.

But Luke was stubborn. He was stubborn enough not to let a little thing like death come between him and his musician dreams and he was stubborn enough to stay to keep an eye on Julie even when she was clearly judging him for it.

So he was there and he was watching Nick like a hawk, prepared to protest if the fellow guitarist got a little too friendly. What he wasn’t prepared for was watching Julie once again start to yawn excessively and manifest her exhaustion in more and more obvious ways. 

He was flooded with worry as her face grew slightly pale and her eyes dropped lower and lower. This wasn’t normal. He felt a sudden surge of guilt for not pushing her to figure out what was wrong with her sooner. She had plenty of excuses and he had plenty of distractions but he couldn’t deny it any longer, something was wrong with Julie. 

_ Seriously  _ wrong. 

Luke was just brainstorming ways he could help speed along Nick’s exit so he could convince her to take her need for rest seriously when something caught his eye.

Nick placed a hand on Julie’s arm and it was like everything that was concerning Luke was thrown into high gear. Her eyes practically drifted shut, her body sagged even lower and despite the fact that Nick was speaking to her she didn’t seem capable of responding.

He didn’t know how and he didn’t know why but like a bolt of lightening blasting through his well intentioned but dense skull he had a sudden realization. 

Nick was  _ hurting  _ Julie.

Luke was filled with an instant rage that left his vision whiting out on the edges. He didn’t stop to think about the consequences of his actions, just reached forward and wrapped his hands around the top of Nick’s chair. He yanked the chair back a few inches and Nick was dragged backwards with it. He sputtered and grabbed for the table before asking Julie what had just happened.

Luke didn’t care about that though. What he cared about was that despite how many more questions it raised, Luke was clearly right. Because as soon as Nick’s concentration was broken and his hand left her arm, Julie’s mind seemed to clear and her posture improved. It was like someone had snapped their fingers in front of her face or doused her with cold water. 

It was like she had  _ woken up _ .

Julie made some excuse about an earthquake which was so ridiculous Luke suspected even he wouldn’t have fallen for it and he tended to buy anything she told him. Then Nick turned and looked directly at Luke and he just knew. 

He could  _ see  _ him.

What the hell was going on?

Luke was only about a second away from saying to hell with their secret and dragging Nick out of the house himself when the other guy decided to leave on his own. 

As soon as he did Julie rounded on him and under any other circumstances seeing her look at him with that much genuine anger would have made him fold under the need to stay on her good side. But right now he just didn’t care about that. There was only one thing he did care about.

“Why would you do that? Are you trying to make him realize my house is haunted? Because that’s the last thing we need right now.” 

He closed the distance between them almost instantly and looked down at her with what he hoped was a look that got across how completely serious he was about what he was about to say. 

“You need to stay away from him, Julie.”

He had not really thought through what reaction she was going to have to that statement but it clearly wasn’t a good one. 

Her face scrunched up instantly in disbelief and annoyance. And not the kind of annoyed she was when he made too much noise in the studio or even when he peeked in her dream box. This brand of annoyance looked a lot more serious.

“Excuse me, what did you say?” Her tone was colored with disbelief. 

Under any other circumstances Luke would have crumbled under her disapproval and backtracked like hell to try to get back into her good graces. 

But he somehow just knew he was right and the only thing he cared about more than what Julie thought of him was making sure Julie was ok. 

Before he could say anything else she held up a hand to stop him.

“Wait. Poof upstairs before you answer that.” 

Luke just stared at her in confusion for a moment before she let out a huff of air and crossed the room to start climbing the stairs. Apparently she was serious.

Luke poofed up to her room and sat on her bed, waiting anxiously for the handful of seconds it took her to reach him. She very deliberately did  _ not  _ join him on her bed once she arrived, choosing instead to lean against her desk with her arms crossed.

“Why did you want us to come up here?” He asked, hoping a neutral subject before they dove into it could be helpful.

Unfortunately that seemed to be wishful thinking.

“My dad and Carlos will be home any minute. If we’re going to fight we need to do it up here.”

Luke swallowed hard.

“Um, let’s not fight then.” 

Julie didn’t seem moved by the logic of his argument.

“Well, what do you expect when you order me to stay away from one of my friends for no good reason?”

Luke stood but was careful to leave Julie with enough space that she didn’t feel boxed in. She still looked exhausted and he didn’t want to add stress to what was going on with her physically. He was aware that he might be a little late on that one. 

“Except I do have a good reason,” He insisted, his voice firm. 

“Ok, I’m listening.”

Julie folded her arms even tighter and waited for him to speak. 

The problem was now that the time had come Luke didn’t know how to explain it. He had to try though. 

“Nick is doing something to you. That’s why you’re so tired all the time.”

Julie still looked annoyed but now she was also looking at him like he was crazy. Great. So this was going well.

“You think he’s what...poisoning me?” She asked skeptically. “I didn’t even eat or drink in front of him today, not to mention how totally nuts that is because he’s my  _ friend  _ and would never hurt me.”

Luke took one step forward but froze when Julie shifted uncomfortably.

“I don’t think he’s poisoning you,” Luke explained. “I think he’s like...an energy vampire or something.”

Julie fixed him with an even more incredulous look.

“An energy vampire, really, Luke ? Are you going to accuse me of being a witch again next?”

Luke sighed in frustration. This was really not going well.

“I know it sounds crazy ok? But just think about it, you never used to be this tired all the time.”

“Maybe it’s because I met you,” Julie countered flatly.

Luke chose to ignore that comment and press on. He needed to make her understand.

“And it’s always the worst right after you study with him. And when he touches you it’s like he sucks you dry.” 

Julie sighed again. 

“Like an energy vampire.”

Luke nodded.

“Basically.” 

“You realize you sound absolutely crazy, right?” Julie insisted. 

“Hey, the idea of three ghosts showing up in your garage used to sound pretty crazy,” Luke pointed out. 

“The difference is I’ve known Nick for years,” Julie argued. “He’s a normal, boring human. Just like me.” 

Luke felt his own frustration surging through him. He couldn’t blame her for being doubtful when what he was telling her would have sounded so stupid to even him a few hours ago. Except part of him  _ could  _ blame her because he was the one telling her. That part of him wasn’t particularly helpful but it was definitely clamoring for his attention and it was hurt that she didn’t trust him enough to even try to believe. 

“Look, something happened to him then. I don’t know. But I’m telling you, Jules, I saw it with my own eyes and he’s hurting you somehow.” 

Julie suddenly looked even more tired than she had before.

“Are you sure that’s why you want me to stay away from Nick?”

Luke hadn’t been expecting that question.

“Why else would I tell you to?” He asked, face scrunching in confusion. 

“Are you really asking me that?” She countered. “Because you’re jealous.” 

Well, that stopped him in his metaphorical tracks.

He tried to reign in his emotions before he answered but it was a battle he was quickly losing. He was trying to help her. He was trying to  _ protect  _ her and she was returning the favor by trying to make him sound like some dumb, love sick teenager. 

That wasn’t a totally inaccurate description but that wasn’t the point. 

“Why would I be jealous? Nick isn’t your type and you and I aren’t…”

Her jaw tightened and she interrupted him.

“We aren’t what, Luke?”

Well, that shut him up. He hadn’t meant that they weren’t  _ something _ . He had just meant that they weren’t in a typical high school romance that could be threatened by some stupid love triangle. Ok, so he had definitely been jealous of Nick at some points in the past. Maybe even some points that day. But he never seriously thought he was in danger of losing what he had with Julie over Nick. They connected on a deeper level than that and in his better moments he knew that. He really did.

He just didn’t know how to get that across to her when he felt like she was already against him and Julie was  _ never  _ against him and it felt like they were having two huge conversations at once and everything was spiraling out of his control and he just needed her to believe him and…

“You know what? Don’t answer that.”

Great. Now she looked sad as well as mad. 

“Julie, that’s not what I meant. You know I wouldn’t lie to you right?”

She shrugged, turning her head to look out of her window though all that was visible was darkness. 

“You leave things out sometimes. Like how you got cursed by Caleb. Or how you never told me this used to be Bobby’s house.”

Luke was truly thrown off by this turn in the conversation. 

“Julie...what? I wasn’t keeping that from you. Why would I? It just never came up.” 

She turned back to face him.

“Exactly. And how do I know there are other things that just haven’t come up? Maybe you have an undead girlfriend floating around somewhere. Who knows!”

Luke threw up his hands. This was getting ridiculous.

“Ok, that’s just dumb. What are we even fighting about right now?”

“Nothing. Everything. I don’t know.”

Luke tried to get all of his quickly evolving feelings under control so he could try again to get through to her. He really did. But when he opened his mouth it was clear that’s not what had happened.

“Yeah, well let me know when you figure it out.”

Then he poofed out to the garage and immediately kicked the edge of the coffee table, hard, ignoring the pain in his foot as he collapsed onto the couch.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Alex asked as Luke shut his eyes and pretended to sleep though even the meditation corner was far beyond his reach that night.

“No.” 

To his credit Alex knew enough to leave him alone. Unfortunately the same couldn’t be said for his thoughts. Those were racing trying to play out all of the possibilities for what Nick could be doing to Julie.

Because he was angry, really, really angry.

But he would still be damned before he let anyone hurt her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even when he’s explaining things badly and kicking innocent coffee tables, Luke is just the absolute best isn’t he? I’ll take two.


	25. Speaking a different language

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, hopefully everyone reads the note this time because this is going to take a little explanation. We’re trying new things! 
> 
> As I’ve said this story is my attempt at a season 2. And I want it to feel like the show. And occasionally the show gives us musical numbers that aren’t in the context of a performance. 
> 
> This “chapter” is basically my season 2’s Perfect Harmony moment except instead of a beautiful love song it’s an angsty love song lol.
> 
> I wasn’t really in the High School Musical Generation but I did watch the first 2. And all I remember about the second one is Troy running dramatically through a golf course and the absolute over dramatic bop that was Got to Go My Own Way. 
> 
> So I figure season 2 of JATP is due for it’s Got to Go My Own Way moment. 
> 
> SO all that is to say this mini chapter is basically attempting to describe a scene in which Julie is writing lyrics in her room and Luke is writing lyrics in the garage and through the magic of musicals and soulmate connections they are actually writing/singing the same song. 
> 
> Italics are Julie.
> 
> Italics and bold are Luke.
> 
> Italics with ~~ around them are both. 
> 
> I added minimal description but just picture those two in their separate locations singing their hearts out and generally being sad puppies over each other.
> 
> And when you’re done with that keep clicking because I’m posting the next normal chapter at the same time. 
> 
> Ok, I’ll stop talking now. Enjoy!

Julie was exhausted but she couldn’t sleep. Her eyes burned with the effort it took to keep them open but she couldn’t seem to keep them closed for more than a moment or two. She gave up on rest for the time being and reached over to turn on her lamp and pick up the notebook and pen she always kept there within easy reach. 

She was angry at Luke. She knew that she was. But she was pretty sure it wasn’t for any of the things she had thrown in his face earlier. She had been pushing down her feelings about everything for so long, telling herself that she could take care of everyone and handle everything if she just pushed a little harder...until suddenly she couldn’t. 

And her exhausted brain had just vomited some nonsensical version of everything on her mind all over Luke. 

She was angry with him. She was angry with him for always thinking he knew best and for not listening and for making her  _ almost  _ sure where they stood. But she was angrier with herself for pretending she was ok, for pretending she didn’t mind their feelings being unspoken and their future being uncertain. She did mind. And she was scared. And she did want Luke to save her but not from some imagined threat from Nick. 

She wanted him to...she just wanted him. And that was terrifying. 

And it was easier to admit she was angry than afraid. 

* * *

Luke gave up on pretending to sleep once he was sure Alex and Reggie were no longer hovering around him hoping he would explain what had happened. He grabbed his notebook and pen and did a few formless, angry scribbles just to have an outlet of some kind. 

He was angry with Julie. He was angry with her for thinking he would ever have anything but her best interests at heart. He was angry with her for being more interested in fighting about nothing than making a plan to protect her. But he was more worried about her than he was angry. Worried that she was hurting, worried that she was being hurt, worried that somehow the solid foundation he thought they had been standing on had crumbled right in front of his eyes. 

He was sure he was right about Nick and he wasn’t happy that she hadn’t believed him. But he also wasn’t happy that maybe he had given her reason to doubt him along the way without even realizing it. How could he know her so well and apparently not at all at the same time?

She knew how he felt. She had to. Everyone else did. He thought they both felt safer not saying it when they had so much stacked against them. 

And if that wasn’t what Julie actually wanted than he was a little angry at her for not telling him so. But mostly he was scared.

And it was easier to admit he was angry than afraid. 

* * *

Julie’s pen flew over the paper as she sang the words that came to her. 

_ Why do I do these things? _

_ Say nothing at all  _

_ Then say more than I mean  _

_ I get so insecure about it all _

_ I know you care  _

_ But do you want to fall? _

* * *

Luke scratched out lyrics as he sang.

**_You don’t hear what I say_ **

**_The words come out_ **

**_But the meaning slips away_ **

**_I always get it wrong_ **

**_Why can I only talk to you_ **

**_When we do it in a song?_ **

Luke poofed to underneath Julie’s bedroom window just needing to feel closer to her. Part of him hoped she would appear there and they would see each other and all of this would be like a bad dream. She didn’t come. He poofed back to the garage. 

* * *

_ ~We’re circling around the truth  _

_ We think we know but we can’t prove  _

_ I try to let you in but now  _

_ You’re further away than you started out  _

_ So many mistakes, so many changes  _

_ It’s like we’re speaking a different language~ _

Julie moved to look out her window for some reason, half believing she would find Luke looking up at her ready to put all of this behind them. He wasn’t there. She moved back deeper into her room, the weight in her heart growing heavier by the minute. 

* * *

**_If I try again_ **

_ If I let you in  _

**_Can we find a way_ **

_ Can we learn to say  _

**_How we really feel_ **

_ ~We’re circling around the truth  _

_ We think we know but we can’t prove  _

_ I try to let you in but now  _

_ You’re further away than you started out  _

_ So many mistakes, so many changes  _

_ It’s like we’re speaking a different language~ _

* * *

Julie sank into her bed and closed her eyes.

* * *

Luke collapsed on the couch and closed his eyes.

* * *

Neither of them slept. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did that work?? Don’t forget to read the next chapter too!


	26. Want to talk about it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alex is here! Yay! I’m sorry he enters his POV on such a relatively angsty chapter but there’s a little bit of fun stuff too.
> 
> I actually didn’t originally intend to hint at what he has going on quite this early but once I started writing in his POV that’s just where his mind was and it felt wrong not to go there.
> 
> So you get a hint and obviously there is more to come. Don’t come for me with pitchforks you should know I wouldn’t leave any of my precious children with an unhappy ending long term.
> 
> I hope you enjoy! Please let me know your thoughts as always.

Alex wasn’t sure what had happened between Luke and Julie the night before but it definitely wasn’t good. If Luke’s unprompted attack on the coffee table hadn’t been enough of a clue his decision to mumble something about needing some space to think and poofing out first thing thing in the morning had been. It was past the time living people with stomachs got to eat dinner and he still wasn’t back. 

Alex and Reggie had already had their initial freak out over the situation hours earlier. Well, mostly he had done the freaking out while he ran through all of the possible scenarios while Reggie watched him pace. 

“I thought you were trying out being Chill Alex?” His friend had asked as he tracked his progress around the room. 

“I am. This is chill. Comparatively. Given that we’re about to become homeless ghosts if Luke screwed up too badly with Julie.”

“How do we know it wasn’t Julie who screwed up?” Reggie pointed out.

There had been a moment of silence before they both shook their heads.

“Nope, it was probably Luke.”

“Definitely Luke.” 

They had wanted to check on Julie but she was at school and after an incident in the girl’s locker room they had been banned from visiting there without an explicit invitation. 

And it was anyone’s guess where Luke had poofed off to. 

So they had nothing to do but wait. 

Reggie had taken off after a couple of hours and though he hadn’t said where he was going Alex was pretty sure it was to see his sister. 

That was something else to worry about, if he was still Worrying Alex. Which he wasn’t. He was Chill Alex.

So he definitely wasn’t sitting in the garage, alone, running through all of the worst case scenarios when the garage door opened and Carlos came in. 

“Just checking in with my favorite ghost clients,” He announced to the empty air before plopping down on the couch next to Alex.

“Welcome to the garage of despair,” Alex answered flatly. “Come for the almost comfortable couch stay for the existential dread.” 

Carlos ignored him. Obviously.

“Hmm...I’m sensing a presence,” Carlos turned to look directly at Alex.

“Maybe you’re getting better after all,” Alex sat up a little straighter.

Carlos pointed in Alex’s direction. 

“I’m sitting next to...Luke.”

Alex slouched again. Not getting better than.

“Just so you know I’m sorry about that whole trying to burn your soul out with salt thing,” Carlos reached out for a fist bump. 

Alex raised his own fist but it passed right through.

Oh, so it was one of those days, huh?

They never knew when they would be solid with someone other than Julie and when they would go straight back to being air. It was just the sort of unpredictability that would have kept Old Alex’s nerves frayed at all times. 

Not Chill Alex though. 

Nope.

Totally relaxed. 

Ok.

Carlos was chattering on about something else by the time Alex tuned back in. He was a cheerful little guy but he had a reserve of sarcasm that the drummer could definitely appreciate. Really a child who wasn’t sure he was there wasn’t the worst company Alex had ever had. 

“You know, we’re right next to each other and yet you don’t hear a thing I say. Honestly it’s not that different from hanging out with Luke and Reggie.” He observed.

The garage door opened again and this time it was Julie. Alex didn’t miss the fact that in contrast to her usual confidant entrance she barely poked her head in.

She kept her eyes on the floor, deliberately not looking around to see which of her ghostly guests might be currently present. Good, so she was handling whatever had happened about as well as Luke was.

“Carlos, Dad wants you to come do your homework.”

Carlos sighed dramatically. 

“Doesn’t he realize I’m a career man now? I’m meeting with Luke, one of my most important clients.”

Julie’s eyes shot up from the floor filled with panic until she saw that the ghost on the couch was not in fact Luke. Her expression instantly relaxed.

“I don’t think he’s going to buy that excuse. You had better hurry up before he calls Tia.”

Carlos held out his hand for another fist bump Alex couldn’t provide before moping his way out of the garage. Once they were alone Alex raised his eyebrows at Julie who was still hovering awkwardly half in and half out of the doors.

Well, his offer of his great listening skills hadn’t been received with the appropriate amount of gratitude the night before but it was worth another shot. 

“Want to talk about it?”

Julie hesitated for only a fraction of a second before Alex could visibly see all of the fight drain out of her. She quickly crossed the distance between them, crawled onto the couch and laid down with her head on his lap. 

Alex chuckled. 

“Things going that good, huh?”

Julie pressed her cheek more firmly into his thigh as though she was planning on hiding there. 

“Luke and I had a fight.”

Alex felt a little bad for the affectionate smile that inched its way onto his face but he knew she couldn’t see it anyway. 

“I’m shocked. You can’t see it but this is my shocked face.” 

Julie sighed. 

“What did he say?” 

Alex reached and down began gently playing with the ends of Julie’s curls. 

“Nothing. He kicked the table though.” 

“Uggggh,” Julie groaned. “Can we not talk about it right now?”

“Sure.”

They settled into silence for a few seconds before Julie groaned again.

“It’s just that he has this whole crazy theory about Nick and I don’t like the way he went about that whole situation. But that’s not even really what the fight was about.”

Alex furrowed his brow as he tried to follow this new information. What theory could have been so crazy to lead to a blow up this big?

“What was the fight really about then?” 

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Julie insisted.

Alex rolled his eyes but it was another gesture full of affection. 

“I can tell.”

There was another few moments of silence before Julie made another disgruntled noise. 

“It wasn’t about Nick at least not completely. It was about the way he is clearly jealous and just can’t admit it.”

“Clearly,” Alex agreed. That much he could agree with based purely on past evidence.

“But I don’t want to talk about it.” 

“We can talk about literally anything else,” Alex offered. 

Another few seconds of silence passed.

“But it wasn’t really about him not admitting he was jealous.” 

Alex let his head fall back with a thump. 

He was a good listener but Julie was testing him. Was this what Luke and Reggie felt like when his brain was in a tug of war between wanting to vent every anxious thought that passed through it and wanting to ignore every racing possibility?

He would have to give them some vague appreciative gesture later. Something that would say “you’re my everything” without actually letting on that they did more than drive him crazy. 

Still. The girl in his lap was also part of that “everything” now and she was hurting. He could do this. 

“So what was it really about?” He asked again. 

Julie paused and when she answered her voice sounded small and fragile in a way that made him want to protect her from literally everything. 

“What’s Willie like?”

Ok, so maybe she really didn’t want to talk about it. Unfortunately she had landed on a topic he was as eager to avoid as the one she was skirting around. 

Still. 

“He’s...free.” He said finally. 

It was one of the things Alex lo...liked most about Willie. He felt like he had lived his life (and his afterlife) with a ball and chain wrapped around his ankle. Doing his best to live his life while dragging around every repetitive thought, every doubt and insecurity. 

Alex was heavy. 

Willie was so light he could float away. 

And maybe he had. 

“I hope I get to meet him some day,” Julie said quietly. “I don’t even know if I would be able to see him but still.”

Alex swallowed harshly around the lump in his throat. 

“I hope you get to meet him too.” 

Julie’s only answer was a long yawn. 

“Sorry. I didn’t really sleep last night and I was already so tired.”

Alex pushed his fingers deeper into her hair, massaging and scratching gently at her scalp. 

Julie hummed out a contented sound and snuggled into him even further. 

“Go to sleep,” Alex instructed. “It’s all going to be ok.” 

Julie didn’t seem to need to be told twice. Her final words before she drifted off were spoken in a voice already thick with impending sleep.

“I’m glad you have Willie. You deserve to be happy, Alex.” 

“Shhh.” Alex shushed her as he kept up his soothing movements through her hair. 

They all deserved to be happy. But he couldn’t help but remember the pained expression on Luke’s face last night. The way Reggie had collapsed in tears after seeing his sister. The girl in his lap and the way she had been a shell of herself lately. 

And then there was him. 

They definitely deserved to be happy. 

He just wasn’t sure if they got to be. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Julie cuddling is overdue. Luke is MIA. Reggie may or may not be visiting Sammi. Julie is stressed. And she and Alex have a lot in common because neither of them is good at leaning on their friends when they should be.


	27. This isn’t the parent trap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We’re back to Reggie this chapter! It’s not the most exciting chapter I’ve ever written but I have a feeling you guys are going to be very satisfied with the direction it moves things. 
> 
> I am so glad you all loved hearing from Alex. I love him dearly and his storyline will start to unfold more from here. 
> 
> Some of you have observed that it feels like everything is going wrong and honestly...yeah. And it’s going to get worse before it gets better. But the good news is it will get better so I hope you’ll stick with me! 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and especially for all of your comments. They are literally what is getting me through the day at this point and they are so appreciated. 
> 
> Can’t wait to hear what you think!

“And then we were in these super fancy suits and I started jamming out on my bass but I didn’t even mean to do it! Then poof we were in The Orpheum with Julie, which now that I think about it reminds me of the other day when she had a nightmare and called us. We’re still figuring that out. Witch isn’t off the table.” 

Sammi didn’t react to his story as she filled a box with pastries for the woman standing at the bakery counter but that was ok. 

After spending so much time with Ray, Reggie was pretty used to carrying on a one sided conversation. He was currently perched on the edge of the counter, kicking his feet occasionally and avoiding making contact with anything in case he suddenly became solid and made a mess. 

So far it seemed like today was going to be a higher rating on the ghost scale but there was no telling when he might slide back towards the solid human end of the spectrum. 

The customer left and Sammi sighed. 

“What’s wrong?” Reggie asked.

Rob, the guy who seemed to be the bakery’s only other employee as far as Reggie could tell looked up and repeated his question.

“I asked first, just for the record,” Reggie announced, predictably getting no reaction. 

“That’s the only customer we’ve had all hour,” Sammi pointed out. “At this rate half of this stuff is going to have to go in the day old sale. This isn’t sustainable.” 

“Your stuff is great,” Rob reassured her. “Word is going to get around.”

Sammi brushed at the front of her apron and sighed again.

“Is it? It’s been a little over a year. That magical surge needs to come soon.”

Reggie looked back and forth between them, his face drawing with worry at his sister’s concerned expression. 

“We’re ok, right, boss?” Rob asked, the worry seeming to transfer to him.

Sammi gave herself a slight shake and smiled at him. 

“We’re fine. Don’t listen to me. I’m just in a critical mood. Things will pick up.” 

That seemed to soothe Rob who went back to his tasks but Reggie didn’t miss the way his sister’s face became serious again as soon as her employee had turned away. 

“This place is so great! I don’t get why more people aren’t coming.”

Reggie gave a particularly hard kick of one of his feet as he spoke. Seriously it was such a welcoming little shop. He could totally picture himself and the boys popping in to grab breakfast to go before heading over to busk at the pier if it had existed in 95.

Of course if it had existed in 95 it would have been run by a 3 year old but that wasn’t the point. It was an adorable mental image...but it wasn’t the point.

Sammi was rearranging the items in the display case for at least the 4th time since Reggie had poofed in a couple of hours ago. 

“Do you remember the time we baked chocolate chip cookies?” Reggie asked, a smile growing on his face at the memory.

“I wouldn’t let you eat the cookie dough cause it’s supposed to be bad for you but when you weren’t looking I totally ate some. Ooh and then we set the smoke detector off when I burned them and we had to start over?”

Sammi straightened, obviously not acknowledging his anecdote. 

Reggie smiled again though it wasn’t entirely as genuine as he intended it to be. 

“Yeah, that was a good day.” 

He hung around the bakery for a few more hours but eventually he knew he needed to head home. He wanted to check on Luke and Julie and honestly there was a decent chance Alex had spontaneously combusted by then.

Well, ghosts didn’t have bodies so he probably couldn’t have burst into random flames. That was actually an unexpected plus side to being made of air, no need to fear spontaneous combustion. 

When Reggie poofed back into the garage he was greeted with the sight of Julie asleep on the couch, her head cushioned in Alex’s lap.

He couldn’t help but smile affectionately at the girl who had recently nominated herself as his second little sister. They all knew she needed the sleep and he was happy she felt safe enough with them to find it like this. 

“No sign of Luke?” He asked quietly.

Alex shook his head. 

“He’ll probably be back soon,” Reggie said. “Let her sleep.” 

Alex looked down at the sleeping girl and then back up.

“I don’t think she’ll want to be passed out in here when he shows up.” He pointed out. 

Reggie felt a mischievous grin growing across his face. 

“But it’s perfect! We can trap them in here and make them talk it out.”

Alex didn’t seem to see the genius in this plan. He gave Reggie a judgmental look.

“This isn’t the Parent Trap, Reg.”

“Let’s get together, yeah, yeah, yeah!” Reggie sang before Alex shushed him. 

He held up his hands in silent apology. 

“I’m going to wake her up,” Alex finally announced. “It should be her choice.” 

Reggie sighed. He had to admit he was a little disappointed, partially because he really wanted to speed along his friends making up and partially because his Parent Trap dreams had been dashed.

Alex gave Julie’s shoulder a gentle shake and she instantly startled awake as if she had barely been asleep to start with. She sat up and gave both Alex and Reggie sleepy smiles. 

“Hey guys. What time is it?”

Alex and Reggie exchanged a look. 

“We’re ghosts,” Alex pointed out helpfully. “We don’t have watches.” 

“Or magical pocket phones!” Reggie chimed in. “It’s dark out if that helps.”

Julie shook her head, but she did smile tiredly. 

“Well, I’m going to go see if I can get some more sleep in my actual bed,” Julie said, stretching a bit before she stood. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to wait for Luke?” Reggie suggested hopefully. 

“Only if you want to,” Alex offered.

Julie was already shaking her head before they had finished asking.

“I’m just not up to it right now. I’ll talk to him eventually, I promise.” 

“And when we say ‘eventually’ are we talking like tomorrow or…” Reggie’s voice went high pitched at the end as he tried to gauge her timeline. 

“Not that we’re pressuring you,” Alex broke in, shooting Reggie a look. 

Julie smiled softly.

“Goodnight.” 

“Night, Jules.” The boys echoed as she left the garage. 

Her timing turned out to be incredible because within five minutes of her exiting the garage, Luke was poofing in. 

“Finally he graces us with his presence!” Alex started clapping and Luke just rolled his eyes before collapsing into the chair. 

“Whoa! Careful. You’ve already attacked enough innocent furniture.” Reggie said as he sat next to Alex on the couch. 

Luke groaned.

“I get it ok. And I need to talk to you guys about what happened last night. I’m calling a band meeting. Well, most of the band.”

Reggie sat forward. 

“Good, we’re here for you buddy. And we are going to brainstorm until we figure out how to get you and Julie back together.”

Luke’s eyes widened to the size of basketballs. Roughly. 

“What...that’s not...we were never together.” 

“Sounds fake, but ok,” Alex remarked. 

Luke was doing that thing where he pinched the bridge of his nose again. 

“Look, yes, Julie and I had an argument last night. That will work itself out.”

“Will it?” Alex asked skeptically, exchanging a look with Reggie. “Cause I don’t know if you talked to her today but I did. She’s all over the place and something tells me it’s your fault.”

Reggie nodded. 

Luke was a great guy, he really was. But he had a way of saying the wrong thing at exactly the wrong moment. It was really a talent.

“That’s not important right now.” Luke’s tone clearly gave away that he didn’t believe his own words but he pressed on. “We have to focus on keeping her safe and I think I figured out why she’s been so tired. It’s Nick.”

“Nick…” Reggie repeated.

“Study date Nick?” Alex asked. “It’s not exactly breaking news that she’s been spending a lot of time helping him study.”

“Yes study date Nick. But that’s not what’s causing it. He’s draining her somehow. I saw him do it. He’s some kind of energy vampire.”

“Energy vampire?” Alex repeated, his voice giving away exactly how ridiculous he thought that term was. “You’re suggesting we live in a world with not only ghosts but vampires?”

“Hey Carlos and I have been watching that Being Human show!” Reggie interjected. “It’s just like this. There’s a ghost and a vampire and a werewolf and they’re roommates.”

“Who’s the werewolf then?” Alex asked.

“Well, Ray’s chest  _ is  _ pretty hairy,” Reggie informed them only to be greeted with disgusted looks from both of his friends. 

“How do you know that...ok,” Alex shook his head. “So you’re saying Nick is literally draining her energy?”

Luke nodded. 

“And who knows if that’s all he’s taking,” His face furrowed in anger. “Every time he’s around she gets exhausted and when he touches her she practically passes out. If I hadn’t caught her on the stairs the other day she would have cracked her head open.”

That was enough to shock both Alex and Reggie into a brief moment of silence. 

“How’s he doing it though?” Reggie asked finally. “And why?”

“I spent all day thinking about this,” Luke answered looking back and forth between his friends seriously. “And any way I look at it there’s only one person I can think of who could be behind this.”

Reggie felt dread settle in his stomach as he and Alex exchanged glances.

“Caleb.” Reggie didn’t have to phrase it as a question.

Luke nodded.

“I mean he would definitely want to get back at us,” Alex agreed. “But can he even drain lifers like that?”

Luke sat forward fixing Alex with an intense look.

“I was hoping you could ask Willie that for us. If anyone knows what Caleb is capable of it’s him. Maybe he can help us figure out what’s going on and how to stop it.”

Reggie didn’t miss the way Alex’s face fell at that suggestion he just didn’t know why. 

“Ask Willie...right, sure, yeah.”

“I know it’s dangerous for him to go against Caleb,” Luke acknowledged. “I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.”

“No, yeah. I’ll see what I can find out.”

Luke nodded and sat back looking slightly relieved to have a course of action settled on. 

There was a moment of silence which Reggie couldn’t resist breaking. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about your relationship problems?”

Luke snatched the lone decorative pillow and hurled it at Reggie’s face.

“Shut up.”

“I’ll take that as a maybe.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Reggie do not have time for this “we’re not together” nonsense even if Luke and Julie honestly think it’s true. 😂


	28. Not her ghosts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Put your hand up if you’ve been here long enough to remember when I was ridiculously proud of posting chapters 5 days in a row? 
> 
> Guys...it’s been like what 23 days in a row now?? Something like that. Who even am I? Crazy times.
> 
> I don’t know how you will feel about this chapter...but I told you things are really moving now. 
> 
> I don’t have much else to say today other than i wish it was Saturday but it’s only Friday. Life is hard lol.
> 
> Let me know what you think as always!

Caleb stood in front of Dante attempting to explain what he wanted him to do for the third time in the last five minutes. Needless to say his patience was wearing thin.

Then again that was why he had decided to send in Dante in the first place. His patience was running out. He knew Julie had to be seriously feeling the effects of their repeated energy exchange sessions by now and he also knew that her boys’ desire for revenge against their former bandmate had almost been their undoing once before. It was time to push Julie over the edge and if that could also be a push that led them back towards Trevor all the better.

An exhausted Julie and a revenge happy band could only strain their relationship with each other. And just when they had reached their lowest point, Caleb would finish her off while they watched. 

Now that Luke seemed to suspect his host, Caleb knew he would no longer have easy access to the girl which was a shame but it was what he had always intended. Let them think they could save her. Let them think they could save themselves. It would only make their failure more satisfying. 

It really was a delicious plan. And he was tired of waiting for his goals to be realized. He had thought they would get there sooner but according to Dante none of them had made contact with Willie at all. He hadn’t returned to the club but he hadn’t sought out his little boyfriend either. 

Maybe Willie was a little more ruthless than Caleb had given him credit for. He had to know Caleb wouldn’t give up on Julie and her phantoms. He was choosing to stay out of the fray in an attempt to save himself. It wouldn’t work but Caleb admired the selfishness of the attempt.

But the matter at hand was trying to get through Dante’s thick, beautiful skull what exactly he was to do. Now that Caleb could no longer approach her directly he had to rely on others no matter how painful it was. 

“Dante, you’ve enjoyed all of the gifts I’ve given you over the years haven’t you? All the abilities you’ve gained through your generous allotment of soul energy?”

Dante nodded eagerly. 

“Good. Now I want you to use one of those gifts to encourage Julie to seek out our friend Trevor. She will take those incessant ghosts of hers with her and the confrontation will tear them apart. Got it?”

Dante nodded. Paused. Shook his head.

“Which gift am I using, boss?” He asked. 

Caleb sighed. He made a mental note to attempt to recruit some henchmen with a higher IQ in the near future. 

“Your dream weaving, Dante,” Caleb told him. “I want you to give her a little nightmare that leads her in the direction we want her to go. And while you’re there maybe give her a little waking scare too. Why not.”

Dante frowned.

“But can’t she see ghosts?”

Caleb fought the urge to roll his eyes. Did no one listen when he spoke?

“She can see three very specific ghosts,” He explained. “They’re connected to her, you’re not. Take advantage of that fact.”

Dante nodded hastily.

“I’ll scare her really good, boss.” 

“Good. And Dante? Try to have some flair in the performance. Think through what you’re going to do ahead of time, don't just wing it. It’s not every day you get to put on a show like this. Make the most of it.” 

Dante nodded again and Caleb waved his hand to indicate that the other ghost was dismissed.

Dante phased out and Caleb was left to straighten his jacket before setting out for young Nick’s home. His time in this dreadful body was almost complete but there were just a few things he needed to do first. 

Oh, he was so looking forward to the next few days. It was good to be back. 

It was good to be _bad_.   
  


* * *

_“Julie...Julie...JULIE!”!_

_Julie sat up in her bed at the sound of her name being screamed, her heart pounding in her chest._

_That had sounded like...like her mom was calling for her._

_“Mom?”_

_She swung her legs over the edge of her bed and looked around her room, listening desperately for any sign of where the shouts had come from._

_“Julie!”_

_There it was again. There her mom was again. And it seemed to be coming from her closet of all places. She didn’t pause to consider how strange that was. She just practically leapt out of bed and yanked her closet door open. She didn’t see her mom right away but she stepped in anyway, glancing around eagerly._

_Suddenly the door slammed shut behind her. Julie spun around and twisted the door handle but it wouldn’t budge. She rattled it repeatedly just in case but it wouldn’t turn._

_Suddenly everything in the closet began to shake as though they were in the middle of an earthquake. Items from the shelf at the top of her closet began pouring down and Julie shrieked before sinking to the floor._

_She put her hands over her head as items continued to tumble down over her, the entire closet seeming to slide first one way than the other._

_Julie cowered there for a few moments until the shaking stopped._

_She felt hands on her back and screamed. She couldn’t help it._

_“Julie...shh, it’s me, baby.”_

_Mom._

_Julie lowered her hands from over her head and looked up. It really was her mom. She moved to throw her arms around her only now she had become as easy to pass through as the boys had originally been. Julie’s arms slipped through her like no more than air and a choked noise of dismay escaped her as she watched it happen._

_“Julie, I’m going to get you out of here but first I have to tell you something very important. I need you to listen and I need you to remember this. Can you do that for me, baby?”_

_Julie nodded._

_“I need you to go see Trevor. Take your boys with you. He’s my friend. He needs to know what happened to his band. That’s what all of this has been for.”_

_Julie frowned._

_“It has? But I thought they needed to let go of what he did to them and move on. We’re making music together, Mom. And…”_

_Her mom cut her off with a shake of her head._

_“They can never truly move on until they talk to him and neither can Trevor.”_

_Julie hesitated._

_“You mean it’s their unfinished business?”_

_Her mom shook her head yet again._

_“I’m not trying to take away your band, Julie. I’m trying to help you keep them forever. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”_

_“I...I don’t know,” Julie answered in a small voice._

_She was a liar. She did know. That was exactly what she wanted. But it was also the most selfish thing she had ever wanted and she didn’t want to admit it out loud._

_“It will all be ok. Just take them to go see Trevor.” Her mom assured her. “But Julie?”_

_She looked up at the woman before her expectantly._

_“Yeah, mom?”_

_“You need to wake up. There’s a ghost in your room.”_

_Instantly the door knob started rattling aggressively from the outside this time. The shaking resumed and her mother disappeared._

_The door suddenly swung open and..._

* * *

Julie dat up in her bed suddenly, gasping for air. 

She glanced quickly around her room more than a little afraid of what she would find. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary though. 

It had just been a bad dream? She had been having her fair share of those lately but this one had felt so real. And her mom…she could practically still hear her mom’s voice.

Was it possible it had been one of those signs she may or may not like to send? She had said Julie needed to take the guys to see Trevor. That was not a suggestion that she could see going over well. After all she was the one who had lectured them about letting things go with him and moving on through making new music with her. What if what they really needed was closure by talking to him? 

She could translate for them. She could come up with an excuse to get the story like she did with Reggie’s sister. She was the only one who could make it happen and maybe she was selfish for only chastising them for seeking revenge without trying to push them towards reconciliation instead. 

Maybe she was just afraid of losing them. 

Julie was startled out of her thoughts by the sound of something rustling in her closet.

Completely irrationally, her first thought was that her mom was still in there somehow. Climbing out of bed, Julie walked into the closet only to find...a closet. She sighed. She was letting her dreams get to her too much.

But then it was like her dream came to life.

The door swung shut behind her. 

Julie had half a moment to feel fear settle in her stomach as she tried to turn the door knob to no avail. 

What had her mom said?

_There’s a ghost in your room_.

Items in her closet began to shake and just like in her dream things began falling off the shelf. Julie continued to pull and twist at the door knob feeling panic fully and truly settle in now.

“Let me out!” She cried as more and more objects pelted her from above. “Let me out please!”

Finally the door swung open and Julie tumbled out onto the floor. She crawled a few feet away from the closet door, her knees exposed in her sleep shorts and burning from her rough progress. 

A crashing sound pulled Julie’s attention to her dresser where an invisible presence was clearly sweeping their hand along the surface, knocking the items found there to the ground one at a time. 

Julie couldn’t help it, she jumped and let out a small noise as each item fell. 

When the ghost got to the photo of her and her mom it hesitated. The photo floated up and over until it...and whoever or whatever held it...was directly in front of Julie. It hovered in front of her face for a moment, just long enough to focus on the image of her and her mom, then it smashed to the floor directly in front of her.

Julie shrieked again, bringing her arm up to protect her face from any glass but also to block out what was happening.

She was so used to thinking of ghosts in terms of _her_ ghosts. The danger of Caleb and even the sweetness of Willie had seemed so theoretical to her before now. All that had really existed to her in the realm of the supernatural were the boys she loved and possibly some gentle signs from her mother. 

Now as she was terrorized by a force she couldn’t see, Julie was suddenly very aware how much tunnel vision she had really had. 

Things were quiet for a moment and Julie decided to chance a run for the door. Doing her best to avoid the broken glass, she heaved herself to her feet and ran for it. She made it to the door but just like the closet before it she couldn’t get it open. 

She rattled the knob repeatedly, feeling tears spill over as she failed. She contemplated screaming for her dad. The only reason he wasn’t here already were the ear plugs he wore at night to block out his own snoring. Carlos was a heavy sleeper. She was pretty sure they would hear a full on scream though. Still she hesitated. What could they do against a ghost? And more terrifying what could an apparently angry ghost do to them?

She remembered the boys saying she had managed to call them somehow the other day and wished desperately she actually knew how to do that on command. All she could think to do was silently say their names and so far that had accomplished nothing.

She gave the door one more tug but it didn’t budge. 

Suddenly she felt something at the back of her head like an unseen presence was running their fingers over her hair.

“Don’t touch me!” Julie jumped back but there wasn’t very far to go. “Who are you? What do you want?”

There was no answer.

Suddenly Julie’s eyes locked on the window across the room. She had climbed out of it once before…

She took one long, shuddering breath then sprinted across the room towards her window. She could hear things behind her being knocked over and thrown around but she didn’t pause to look back. Instead she yanked open her window and practically tumbled out of it only managing to catch herself at the last minute. 

Managing to control her descent a little but not much, Julie slid down the small section of roof extending there and thumped to the ground. She could tell she had scraped her knee pretty good if the burning was any indication but she didn’t stop to examine the damage. Instead she heaved herself to her feet and half ran, half stumbled her way to the garage. She threw open the door and rushed inside, taking the time to turn and close it behind her. It wasn’t like that would keep out the ghost but she was too scared to think straight.

By the time she turned back around she had the attention of all three of the ghosts she was used to seeing. 

Reggie was reclining on the couch while Luke and Alex stood towards the center of the room. 

“Julie?” Reggie’s voice broke the silence.

“What’s wrong?” That was Luke. 

He took a step towards her and Julie felt fresh tears break over her face.

“Julie!” This time it was Alex.

Julie found herself craving the safety she had felt when she laid in his lap and without warning ran straight into him.

She barreled into him so hard she knocked Alex back a few steps. She buried her face in his chest as her arms came up to wrap tightly around his waist.

His arms instantly wrapped around her in return, his hand coming up to stroke at her hair soothingly.

All three of their voices were nearby now but Julie kept her face pressed tightly against Alex as they peppered her with questions.

Finally Luke’s voice broke through the fray. Even in her current state, even as mad as she was, she couldn’t ignore it. She turned her head to look at him though she didn’t let go of Alex.

“Julie, you’re scaring me. Please tell me what’s wrong.”

The look on his face was desperate and pained.

Julie sucked in a breath. 

“There’s a ghost in my room. It scared me. It wouldn’t let me out. I had to go out the window.”

Luke’s eyes dropped to the scrapes on her knees before returning to meet hers. She had never seen them harden so much and certainly not so fast.

“Stay here.” 

His voice was hard too. 

Julie released her hold on Alex and tried to stand on her own without shaking visibly but it was a losing battle. She nodded but it felt more like an extension of her entire body vibrating. She could do this. She could do this.

“I’ll stay with, Julie.”

It was Reggie, sweet Reggie. 

He held out his hand and she took it gratefully. The other boys were already poofing out by the time he had led her over to the couch and sat her down. He grabbed the same blanket she had slept under not so long ago and wrapped it around her tightly before sitting next to her. He gave a gentle tug and tucked her against his side, a protective arm wrapped around her shoulders.

Julie didn’t speak and Reggie followed her lead, simply squeezing the shoulder he could reach periodically to remind her he was there. She couldn’t have loved him more in that moment.

It felt like a long time before the other guys poofed back in but she wasn’t sure she could trust her sense of time at this point. 

Alex immediately took up a position on the opposite side of Julie from Reggie crowding onto the couch and placing a comforting hand on her arm.

Luke hovered awkwardly just in front, clearly wanting to find a way to squeeze in too but maybe thinking he wouldn’t be welcome. 

Julie hated it. She hated everything about this night.

“There’s no one there now,” Luke said, his tone gentle like she might crack if he spoke too loudly. “Whoever it was really did a number on your room though. We cleaned up as best we could so if your dad comes in he won’t think you were murdered. Do you want to go back to your bed?”

Julie immediately shook her head. There was no way she could face being in there until daylight was available. 

“You can sleep out here,” Reggie offered. “We’ll keep you company.” 

Julie managed a grateful almost smile as he and Alex slid off of the couch and onto the floor nearby. 

She laid down and pulled the blanket more tightly around herself, shivering despite the warm LA air surrounding her. 

Luke hesitated for only a moment before he seemed to make up his mind. He crossed the distance to the couch and sank down to the floor, sitting just in front of her. 

“We’ll be right here, Jules. Everything’s going to be ok.” 

She nodded sleepily and let her eyes slip shut. Despite how terrified she still was, her ever present exhaustion was tugging her away from them. 

Just before she drifted off she felt her hand being pulled gently until it dangled over the edge of the couch. It hung there alone for only a fraction of a second before another hand wrapped around it, warmth seeping in and reminding her she wasn’t alone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo...that happened. There’s a cute callback at the very end that makes up for the rest...right??? Maybe not lol.


	29. Trying to protect you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I did it guys. I took a day off. Sort of. I definitely wrote a lot yesterday but I didn’t finish the chapter in time to post it and I told myself that was ok. So be proud of me lol! I hope everyone had a great Halloween. If you dressed up let me know what you were in the comments. I saw some truly adorable JATP themed costumes on Instagram and could barely take the cuteness.
> 
> This is the longest chapter yet I think. You will get some of the answers you’ve been waiting for so I’m eager to hear your thoughts on that. The plot is really rolling now and it’s both fun and challenging to have something do big happening just about every chapter.
> 
> I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this chapter! Enjoy! 💜💜💜

As soon as they were sure Julie was asleep the boys started discussing the situation at hand.

“What the hell just happened?” Alex hissed, glancing between both Reggie and Luke as though one of them had to have the answer.

And Luke was pretty sure that he did.

“It’s Caleb, it’s got to be. First whatever is going on with Nick and now a random ghost shows up to scare Julie? That’s not a coincidence.”

“But why is he going after her?” Reggie asked worriedly.

“Because of us,” Alex answered, his voice serious. “Because she’s our person. The quickest way to get to all of us at the same time.”

Luke pounded his free hand on the floor out of frustration before realizing he could have woken the girl sleeping behind him. He glanced back guiltily and gave her hand a gentle squeeze when he saw she hadn’t woken up. 

“What’s his obsession with us anyway?” He demanded in a half whisper.

Now it was his turn to look to his friends hoping against the odds that one of them would have an answer for him. 

There was a moment of silence before Reggie spoke up.

“He’s a bully. Bullies don’t need a reason. They can’t feel powerful unless they’re making someone else feel like nothing.”

Luke and Alex both knew he was speaking from experience, knew what his dad had been like. They also knew he wouldn’t want them to bring it up in that moment.

“So what do we do?” Alex asked.

“We stick to the original plan,” Luke said firmly. “You talk to Willie and find out what he knows. Hopefully he can tell us something we can use to get Caleb off our backs for good.”

Alex frowned but nodded. 

“And in the meantime?” Reggie questioned.

Luke paused only long enough to glance back and check on Julie again despite the fact that their connected hands meant he would know if she moved. He needed to see her relatively peaceful face for himself. 

“In the meantime we don’t let Julie out of our sight. If he thinks he can hurt her to get us to he has another thing coming.”

Alex and Reggie both nodded and Luke could see his own determination mirrored in their faces. He was so grateful that they were with him in this. He knew that Julie was important to all of them, that his connection to her wasn’t the only deep bond that had been formed since they poofed into her garage. But seeing it in action, seeing how ready the guys were to jump to her defense, not because of what she meant to Luke but because of what she meant to  _ them _ ...it was comforting. 

Alex had just said it. 

She was their person.

And none of them were going to let something bad happen to her. He didn’t have to do this alone. Which was reassuring because though he was more than willing to run headfirst into Caleb’s club and take him on if it meant saving Julie, the idea was still terrifying.

They had barely escaped Caleb’s clutches the last time and they still didn’t really understand how they had done it. There was no guarantee they would fair as well a second time. 

A few hours later as dawn arrived Alex and Reggie both poofed out. Alex set off to try to find Willie and Reggie wanted to check on his sister.

“I know Caleb probably doesn’t even know she exists but...I just want to make sure she’s ok.” 

Luke had understood that. Of course he had. Reggie had always been protective of his little sister, trying to shield her from the worst of their parents’ issues. There was no way he would be able to focus on anything else until he knew she hadn’t been targeted as well. 

Of course, Luke stayed. He had released Julie’s hand just so he could turn to face her, taking up a position sitting cross legged a few feet from the couch. Was it creepy to watch her sleep? Possibly. He didn’t particularly care though.

He didn’t even want to blink in case he missed something. He hated that she had needed him and he hadn’t been there. Why hadn’t she called him this time? Why didn’t any of this make any sense? It felt like as soon as they thought they figured one thing out all the facts would shift so it was all a mystery again. 

As if on que, Julie’s eyes blinked open slowly meeting his own.

“Hi,” She murmured.

“Hi,” He said back, scooting forward until he could reach out and brush a piece of hair back from her face. “You ok?”

She nodded but her expression wasn’t convincing. She pushed herself up to a seated position and played with her hands in her lap for a moment before speaking again. 

“Somebody really is after me huh?”

Luke wanted so badly to reassure her but hiding from the truth wouldn’t help anyone. 

He nodded.

“We’re pretty sure it’s Caleb. He wants revenge and he’s the only one we know with weird powers. It just makes sense. Alex went to find Willie to see what he knows.” 

Julie sighed. 

“So you think Caleb is behind Nick’s...what did you call it? Energy vampire thing?”

“Yeah, I do. You believe me now?” Luke asked cautiously, hesitant to bring up their fight but selfishly still wanting to hear her say it.

Julie looked up from her nervously fidgeting hands to meet his eyes. 

“Honestly? I don’t know what to believe. But I agree that something weird is going on and it’s probably all connected. It would be even weirder if it weren’t. And...I do trust you, Luke. I’m sorry if I made you think I didn’t.”

Luke felt a rush of warmth flood through him at her words. He hadn’t wanted to admit it but he had wanted to hear her say that. Badly.

“Look, I’m sorry too. I know I don’t always say things the right way and I’m not the most patient or whatever. I just want you safe.”

Julie nodded. 

“But...if Nick is hurting me somehow that means Caleb did something to him. I can’t just avoid him. We have to help him.”

Luke shook his head. Her big heart was one of the things he loved about her but he wished it could take a backseat once in a while.

“We will if we can. But you are our priority, Jules.” 

She frowned but she didn’t argue. Luke thought briefly that they could just get back to the part where they were forgiving each other but that turned out to be wishful thinking.

“I have to tell you something.”

Luke remembered saying that to her before and it had definitely been followed by bad news. He wondered if she had felt as awful being on the receiving end of the phrase as he did.

“Before the ghost showed up I had a dream. My mom came to my room. She warned me about the ghost and she told me something we need to do.” 

“Something we need to do?” Luke repeated.

“We need to go see Trevor. All of us.”

Whatever Luke had been expecting it wasn’t that. 

“But that was just a dream right? Because that sounds like a terrible idea.”

Julie leaned forward, her face serious.

“It wasn’t just a dream though. I think my mom was really trying to tell me something. She’s been sending me signs all along the way. I think she sent me  _ you _ . And she was right about the ghost.”

Luke couldn’t believe the turn their conversation had taken. 

“Julie, I know you want to believe your mom is behind all of this and maybe she is. But doesn’t it strike you as odd that you had this dream the same night an angry ghost showed up in your room? It could be a trick or something.” 

“Wow.” Julie managed to look disappointed despite her clear exhaustion. “So I should trust your instincts about Nick but you get to dismiss mine about my mom?”

This was going downhill fast.

“I just think maybe you’re seeing what you want to see.”

“You mean like I thought when you turned on Nick? That you wanted him to be a bad guy so I wouldn’t see him anymore?” 

There was a moment of silence before the fight seemed to go out of Julie and she slumped slightly.

“I don’t want to fight anymore. I can’t. I’ll stop studying with Nick if you promise to help me find a way to help him later. But I need you to come see Trevor with me. Please, Luke.”

Well. There was never any chance he was going to say no to her when she was asking so earnestly. But he had a very bad feeling about this. 

“Ok. Ok. But I can’t promise to forgive him. And if something seems weird we’re getting out of there. All of us.” 

Julie nodded. She didn’t seem entirely satisfied with his answer but she didn’t seem to have the energy to push it any further. 

“Do you need to get ready for school?” He asked.

Julie hesitated.

“Actually I think I’m going to take a sick day. I’m just so tired.” 

A fresh wave of worry washed over Luke. Julie never missed school. Not even when he used his best puppy dog eyes trying to convince her to skip. She wouldn’t stay home unless she really needed the rest. 

“Let me go get you some sweats or something.” He offered in what he hoped was a neutral voice though there was anger simmering under it at the thought of what had happened to her. “You probably don’t want your dad to see those knees. Then we can go to your room and you can get in bed.” 

Julie nodded.

“You...you’ll stay?”

Luke reached out and squeezed her hand. 

“Of course.”

Things still weren’t settled between them. He knew they were both still hurt by words the other had said and neither was fully on board with each other's plans. But they did trust each other. And they did need each other. So Luke would help her sneak back into the house with her battle wounds covered and he would tuck her into bed and he would keep watch while she slept. 

And they would just have to figure out the rest later.

Julie ended up sleeping for most of the day which did very little to calm his nerves. That morning Ray had had no issue believing his daughter was sick which just added fuel to the fire of Luke’s worries. If her loving but somewhat oblivious dad could see something was wrong with her the situation was obviously pretty dire.

Ray was working a photography job that would go all day and into the evening and had considered canceling but Julie had convinced him she would be fine. Carlos was going straight to their aunt’s house after school so Julie would have the house to herself until fairly late.

When she finally woke up, Alex and Reggie were back. Reggie had good news in that his sister had been totally fine and still 100% unaware of the existence of ghosts. Alex on the other hand had not been able to find Willie that day despite his best efforts. 

“I’m sorry Julie,” Alex’s guilt was clear on his face. “I’ll try again later.”

Julie managed a small smile for her friend.

“Don’t be sorry,” She reassured him. “I know he has to choose when to find you so Caleb doesn’t suspect him. You’ll meet up soon. You always do.”

“Right,” Alex didn’t seem to feel any less guilty at her words. 

“We have something we have to do tonight anyway.”

Luke groaned. She couldn’t be serious. 

“I didn’t agree to tonight.”

“It has to be tonight,” Julie insisted. “My dad and Carlos are out until late and Dirty Candy always rehearses in the school gym on Wednesday after school so Carrie won’t be there. We won’t get another chance like this.”

“Um...what are we missing?” Reggie asked, his eyes darting between Luke’s frustrated face and Julie’s determined one.

“My mom came to me in a dream and told me I have to take you guys to see Trevor and work through your issues with him.”

“Huh,” Alex shrugged, his tone deceivingly calm. “I guess that makes as much sense as anything at this point.”

The boys had agreed with Julie’s plan, basically just knocking on Bobby’s door and hoping for the best, a lot more quickly than he would have thought. But he guessed it made sense. 

Alex and Reggie had been angry when they found out what Bobby had done. They had even hated him as much as sweet people like his friends were capable of hate. But it hadn’t come close to the anger Luke had felt. And that made sense. They had all worked hard on those songs but it had been Luke’s words, pages from his diary that Bobby had stolen. 

It hadn’t just felt like Bobby stole his legacy. It felt like he stole his whole  _ life.  _ The life Luke should have had and he had done it with Luke’s own words. The fact that he had apparently bought his parents a big new house and made them presumably incredibly proud in the process with those words didn’t help either. Yes, Julie had helped him make peace with his parents and he would always be grateful for that. The “what could have beens” of it all still stung though.

So when they found themselves standing outside of Bobby’s mansion Luke couldn’t help the rush of negative emotions that crashed over him. He just couldn’t see what good could come from dragging all of this up again. He had finally come around to Julie’s point of view that moving on was the best thing and now she had dragged him back here to confront his past instead. 

He was just considering the merits of closing his eyes and pretending he was in the meditation corner the entire time they were inside when the door opened. It wasn’t like Bobby was going to know he was there anyway. He was sure Julie had come up with some plan to get Bobby talking. But all thoughts of somehow ignoring the situation vanished from his head pretty much instantly. Because Bobby had just answered the door and with his pale face, wide eyes and trembling lips it looked like he had seen a ghost. 

In fact it looked like he had seen three.

He jumped back from the doorway, stumbling so severely he almost fell over before he managed to catch himself.

“Is it just me or can he see us?” Alex observed, his voice thick with disbelief.

Bobby’s shocked gaze shifted quickly to Alex.

“Uh...I think he can hear us too,”Reggie observed.

Julie stepped forward, her face shocked too. 

“Trevor?”

The man before them gulped like a fish for a moment before managing to speak. 

“It’s really true. They’re ghosts and they’re here. How is this possible?”

Julie kept her cool much more than Luke felt like he was. How could Bobby suddenly see them? They had just been here for the party and he was sure they had been invisible to their former bandmate then. 

“I think we have a lot to talk about. Can we come in?”

Bobby seemed to recover himself just enough to step aside and gesture for them to come in. Julie walked in first with Alex and Reggie following closely behind. Sensing his hesitation, Julie turned back and waved her hand to call him to her. And he went. Because he was Luke and she was Julie and even when a little mad at her he couldn’t help it.

He bumped shoulders with Bobby as he passed, relishing the fact that apparently today was a more solid day for him allowing Bobby to feel the impact. His face seemed to drain of even more color. Now who looked like a ghost?

Bobby led them to the large sectional couch and everyone took a seat, the boys clustered as far away from Bobby as possible. Julie took up a position in the middle, looking back and forth between the parties as though trying to decide where to begin. Finally it was Bobby who broke the silence.

“Can I get you anything?” He asked, his voice trembling but playing the familiar role of host seeming to calm him slightly. “Something to drink?”

Luke couldn’t help it. He answered.

“No thanks. If we see something we want we’ll just take it. That’s the way it works right?”

Bobby’s tentative smile slid off his face as he visibly gulped.

“ _ Luke _ !” Julie hissed his name in a stage whisper that everyone definitely heard.

He sat back and crossed his arms. 

Julie turned back to Bobby.

“Can I ask how long you’ve been able to see them?”

Bobby’s mouth opened and shut like he was about to say something but nothing came out. He frowned and tried again with the same result. This shock must have effected him more than Luke had thought.

Finally he sighed. 

“This is the first time. When you weren’t performing that is. I thought you had found old footage and found a way to manipulate it...I couldn’t let myself believe...this. But here we are.”

“In your mansion. Love what you’ve done with the place by the way.”

This time it was Alex’s turn to jump in with a cutting remark.

“I don’t. It’s ugly,” Reggie said poutingly. 

“It wasn’t a real compliment it was...ok,” Alex gave up and the room drifted into silence again.

Julie shot them all a pleading look before turning back to Bobby.

“What changed? Do you know why you can see them now?”

Trevor hesitated but in the end he only shook his head.

“Well, this is going to sound crazy, well maybe not given everything, but I think it might have something to do with my mom. I found out recently that you used to be friends and I think she wants me to help all of you forgive each other.”

Bobby blinked at her for a few seconds and Luke felt the anger rising up in him again.

“He doesn’t have anything to forgive  _ us  _ for. And I’m not feeling all that forgiving. Sorry, Jules.”

She ignored him. Surprisingly Bobby didn’t.

“I know you must be angry, Luke.”

“What was your first clue?” Alex rolled his eyes.

“Probably the way Luke’s face looks,” Reggie offered.

“Why would I be angry?” Luke chuckled mirthlessly. “Because you stole my songs and used them to make this life for yourself while completely forgetting about us?”

Bobby shook his head quickly. 

“That’s not how it was. I never forgot you. I think about you guys all the time and…”

“You just don’t tell anyone else right? Cause then people would know you were a fraud.” 

Luke could see Julie out of the corner of his eye shooting him a look asking him to calm down but he couldn’t. He had known he wouldn’t be able to. That’s why he hadn’t wanted to come here. She had been the one who insisted. 

“That’s not why I didn’t tell,” Bobby was still talking.

“Right. I’m sure you had a good reason. Go on, convince us it was worth it for you to steal our legacy and screw over even the memory of your best friends.”

“Because I was trying to protect you!” Bobby burst out in a yell shocking everyone to attention. He sagged back afterwards and continued in a tired voice. “The only way I knew how once you were...gone.”

“What are you talking about?” Alex asked.

“Protect us from what?” Reggie chimed in cautiously.

Bobby sighed before continuing.

“After you died I was...lost. I dropped out of school. I drifted around not doing music, not doing anything. Then one day I saw this sign for an open mic and for some reason I decided to do it. I played some of our songs and I felt so  _ close  _ to you guys. I felt alive for the first time since...it happened. And there was some manager in the audience that first night, like it was meant to be. Next thing I knew I had a record deal and my life had a purpose again. I wanted to use the songs we wrote together. I wanted the world to hear them.”

Luke thought he heard Alex sniffling slightly next to him but he wasn’t moved.

“That doesn’t explain why you couldn’t give us credit.” 

Bobby was getting agitated again, his voice getting louder and his hands gesturing wildly. 

“I couldn’t give you guys credit without taking the risk that your families would come out of the woodwork and try to claim they were owed money from the album and the tour and everything.”

“And what would have been so bad about that?” Reggie asked, emotion clear in his voice.

“Come on Reg, he obviously wanted every penny for himself.” Luke scoffed.

“I didn’t want a single penny of what you sweated and bled for to go to the families that made your lives miserable while you had them!” Bobby practically roared, throwing the room into a shocked silence. 

Julie jumped at the sound and Bobby gave her an apologetic look.

“What are you talking about?” Alex asked, tears definitely audible in his voice.

“Luke, your parents tried to stop your music every step of the way. Reggie, yours made you feel invisible at best and worthless at worst. Alex...they tried to make you feel  _ wrong _ for who you were when you trusted them enough to let them in. How could I let people like that profit off of your dream after you were gone?”

Luke’s head felt fuzzy as he tried to process what Trevor was saying. It was like he was trying to gather his thoughts through the buzzing static of his old tv. 

“Yeah, that stuff’s all true but that’s not...we didn’t...hate our families. How could you think that we would want that? You heard Undsaid Emily…”

Bobby was still agitated but his tone was somewhat quieter.

“I did but that didn’t compare to what I saw. And what I saw was that your parents were out putting up missing posters for you and you still chose to live in my garage, Luke! Reggie was out there half the time as well. And Alex could never fully own how awesome he was after they let him think there was something wrong with him.”

“Ok, I get it that sounds bad,” Luke said, his voice the one shaking slightly now. “But that didn’t mean we hated them. You should have known that.”

“I was 17,” Bobby answered brokenly. “I was 17 and I was grieving and I made the wrong choice. It all seemed so black and white at the time. I’m a father now. I know how complicated it can be. But by the time I realized I made the wrong choice so much time had passed. I admit it I was scared to come clean. To make myself a fraud and make my daughter ashamed of me.” 

“He did help write the songs,” Alex offered quietly. 

“But the words were mine,” Luke muttered, more confused than angry at this point but not prepared to admit that just yet.

“What about my sister?” Reggie broke in. “We went to see her. You helped her. You were in her life.”

A fond smile stretched across Bobby’s face.

“Sammi was different. You loved her so much and she got left behind too. We helped each other. I always made sure she was taken care of. I kept waiting for your dad to ask questions about where I got the money or recognize me as Trevor Wilson and make the connection but...he never did. I was just Reggie’s friend Bobby to him. He didn’t care.”

Reggie took this in for a moment before speaking again, his voice thick with emotion.

“Thanks...for taking care of her.”

Bobby nodded, and the two former friends shared a brief smile.

“What about my mom?” Julie finally spoke up again after letting the boys take the lead up to this point. “Sammi said you were friends. I talked to my dad. He said...you gave her our house? Why?” 

Bobby took a deep and shuddering breath, unshed tears glistening in his eyes.

“I met your mom the night...it...happened. We all did,” He turned to the guys. “Rose. At the Orpheum. Reggie gave her a shirt.”

Everyone sat in stunned silence for a moment. 

“Did I flirt with Julie’s mom?” Reggie asked incredulously.

“You weren’t the only one,” Alex whispered, earning him an elbow to the ribs from Luke.

“That was…” He glanced over at Julie to see his shock mirrored on her face. “Julie’s mom?”

Bobby nodded. 

“You have to understand what that night was like for me. I was sitting there waiting as the place filled up and waiting and waiting. Eventually they sent everyone home and the promoter was yelling at me because you guys didn’t show but I just kept waiting because I knew nothing could keep you away and then...finally someone came in who had heard what happened. Three kids who ate bad hotdogs, damn  _ hotdogs _ , and just like that...you were all gone. And Julie…”

A few of the tears escaped and made tracks down his face.

“Your mom was the one who found me behind the club and held me while I cried. Who told me everything was going to be ok when I felt like nothing ever would be. When I wished...wished I had eaten one of those hotdogs too because that seemed better in that moment.”

Julie wiped away a few tears of her own and Luke could feel them burning in his eyes demanding to be let out if he was being honest. Somehow before this moment he had never allowed himself to think of what that night must have been like for Bobby. Never imagined what it would feel like to be left behind.

“Well, it was a hell of a bonding experience,” Bobby continued, clearing his throat. “She encouraged me to perform again, to write again even if my songs were never as good without Luke’s words. She encouraged me to live and I’ll always be grateful for that.” 

“This is a lot,” Alex croaked out, clearly having been crying for a while.

“Heavy,” Reggie agreed. 

Heavy was an understatement. Luke couldn’t get a grip on how he felt from one moment to the next. He felt for what Bobby had gone through and he could even understand his flawed logic behind not wanting their families to find out they had a claim to the songs. He didn’t agree with it but he had made plenty of stupid decisions when he was 17. He still was. 

But Bobby had plenty of chances over the years to correct his mistake and he didn’t for selfish reasons. It wasn’t so easy to completely absolve his former friend. But for the first time he found himself thinking he might get there someday. And just that possibility was enough to screw with his mind.

“I need...I’m going to go look for Willie again,” Alex broke the silence before poofing out. 

Bobby jumped at the ghost’s sudden departure, seemingly having managed to forget the bandmates he was talking to weren’t exactly the human guys he remembered.

Luke thought Alex had the right idea. He needed some space. He needed to clear his head. And they  _ did  _ need to find Willie. Because as big as this conversation was it was still a distraction in his eyes from what they should really be focusing on. 

Keeping Julie safe from Caleb.

“I’m going to help him look,” He shot Julie an apologetic look and didn’t let himself linger too much on the disappointment he found there before turning to Reggie. “Stay with Julie?”

Reggie nodded seriously, understanding the importance of the task he was agreeing to.

Luke chanced one more glance at Julie but she was looking away from him. He would fix it later. He could fix all of this, he had to believe it. He just had to make sure she was still around later so they would get the chance.

First he would save her then he would fix things between them. It was that simple. 

He poofed out trying to convince himself both of those would be that easy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do we think? Do we feel bad for Bobby/Trevor at all or do we still hate him?


	30. Not how we work

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We’re slowing down just a bit in this chapter for Alex to reveal what’s been going on with him and Willie (or what hasn’t been) and a nice heart to heart with Luke.
> 
> I know a lot of you have mixed feelings about Trevor and I think that’s the right response. I think some of the things he did or didn’t do were undoubtedly selfish and wrong. I also think he was a grieving kid who saw things as black and white and thought he was doing the right thing at first. At the end of the day I think he’s just a guy. Flawed but not evil.
> 
> Caleb on the other hand...
> 
> Let me know what you think! 
> 
> I love Alex and Luke bonding. I’m getting emotional just thinking about Luke coming over to Alex at the club and talking about his crush on Willie in such a soft voice. 😭
> 
> Enjoy! 💜

Alex was not a liar.

At least he didn’t usually consider himself to be one. But he had undoubtedly been lying to his friends over the past couple of months. Ever since they didn’t cross over and also didn’t get jolted out of existence on the night of their Orpheum show and Alex had set out to find Willie to tell him the good news. 

He hadn’t found Willie at first, had spent a couple of days looking in all of his usual favorite spots to skate without worrying too much when he was unsuccessful. Willie’s schedule had always been irregular between needing to put in appearances in the club and his own free spirited ways. But after two days had passed Alex’s anxiety had started to kick in.

What if Caleb had figured out that Willie had helped them? What if he had destroyed Willie’s soul to make up for not being able to claim Alex and his friends’ souls? He was spiraling pretty hard by the third day he spent looking for Willie. 

But then his fears were laid to rest only to be replaced by an even less pleasant feeling because he did spot Willie on that third day. And Willie definitely spotted him. And then before Alex could even let the relieved smile settle on his face Willie was poofing out again. 

It reminded him of when the skateboarder had followed him around only to poof away when caught except this time Willie wasn’t following Alex. 

He was avoiding him. 

Alex was crushed. He ran through every scenario in his mind that could possibly explain Willie’s behavior and none of them led him in a good direction. 

Maybe Willie regretted getting caught up with Alex. Maybe it just made his life too difficult. Or maybe Caleb was doing something to Willie that was forcing him to stay away. Maybe he had met someone else he liked better.

In the end though, once his racing thoughts had a chance to settle, Alex decided that Willie was probably trying to protect them both by staying away. As much as his own insecurities tried to tell him otherwise, you don’t just risk your soul being torn out of existence for someone only to get bored of them the next day. The most likely explanation was that Caleb was watching Willie like a hawk and any hint of contact between the two of them would lead to the end of his existence and quite possibly another attack on the band. 

Alex hadn’t told Luke and Reggie about this. He hadn’t told Julie either. He knew that his friends would be horrified and want to help. He knew that they would probably suggest some kind of a rescue mission and as much as Alex wanted that he couldn’t stand the thought of his attachment to Willie putting his friends at risk again. Willie was the expert and he had made it pretty clear he was bound to Caleb for eternity. If the situation was hopeless he couldn’t drag his family into the fight.

So Alex let them think he was meeting up with Willie frequently. In reality he did spend a lot of time in their favorite spots hoping to glimpse Willie from a distance. Sometimes he was successful and though he only ever saw him for a moment at a time it was comforting to know he was alright. The rest of the time Alex found a good spot to think or picked a group of people and followed them around for a few hours. The latter was a great way to learn new words and he was quite proud of his growing modern vocabulary.

It wasn’t exactly the best situation and he knew deep down he was going to have to tell his friends the truth and face the consequences. But he was comfortable with the routine of it. His anxious brain loved routines even slightly sad, some might say pathetic ones. 

It was ok until it wasn’t. 

Because suddenly Julie’s safety depended on him finding Willie and he couldn’t do it. And he couldn’t explain to his friends why he couldn’t do it without admitting he had been lying to them for a long time.

It didn’t help that after poofing out of Bobby’s house he was emotional for multiple reasons. He was a little annoyed with himself that he had never truly let himself consider the fact that while he was crying in a room for what felt like an hour, Bobby was spending that first night crying in an alley in a stranger’s arms. Becoming a ghost had been so overwhelming he hadn’t spared much thought for their guitarist, just a brief guess about what he was up to and the subsequent anger for claiming their songs as his own. He tried to imagine what it would have been like to be the one left behind and shuddered at the thought. Alex doubted he would have done well in Bobby’s position so it was increasingly hard for him to judge him for his mistakes. Even though they were some pretty big ones.

So Alex poofed out of Bobby’s house, gathered his emotions as best he could, and resumed searching for Willie. He looked everywhere he could think of except the obvious which was the club. The problem was now that they were very much not invited he couldn’t get anywhere close. It didn’t even physically exist for him now despite knowing it was there. 

Finally as the sun started to go down, Alex poofed to the beach and perched on the back of a bench. He had only stared out at the water for a few moments when Luke poofed in beside him.

“There you are, man. I’ve been looking for you and Willie for hours and I couldn’t find either of you. Any luck?”

Alex shook his head.

Luke tilted his head and gave him an examining look and Alex knew this was the end of his lie. Luke could be oblivious it was true but once he locked on to something he also had a strange way of being able to see right to the heart of it. 

“What’s going on with you and Willie, dude? You go from going to see him every day to not being able to find him at all? You can talk to me, Alex.”

Alex sighed and dragged his eyes away from the calming view of the ocean to face his friend.

“I haven’t been.”

Luke’s face screwed up in confusion.

“Haven’t been what?”

“I haven’t been seeing him everyday. I haven’t seen him except from a distance since the night we played the Orpheum.”

Luke sputtered for a moment.

“Then where have you been going all this time?”

Alex gestured vaguely around the beach. 

“Here. Everywhere. I look for him and sometimes catch a glimpse before he poofs away. Or I hang out here and think or I follow random people around.”

Luke shook his head.

“But why did you tell us you were meeting him?”

Alex wished he had his drumsticks. His hands were itching for something to do, something to channel his nervous energy into. He wanted to twirl them between his fingers or best out an anxious rhythm on the bench. He could summon them but he didn’t think Luke would appreciate the distraction. 

“I think he’s avoiding me because Caleb would destroy him and possibly target us again if he didn’t. And I knew you guys would want to do something stupid and heroic to help the situation and I couldn’t let you do that if I thought it was hopeless. But now Caleb is targeting us again and he’s doing it through Julie and I’m supposed to be the one who can help her only I can’t and…”

Luke reached out and placed a hand lightly on Alex’s arm.

“Hey, come on man slow down and breathe. In and out, in and out...that’s it.”

Alex did his best to follow Luke’s instructions and calm his breathing. When he had it mostly under control, Luke gave his arm a gentle squeeze and released it. 

“I wish you had told us. I get why you didn’t but I still wish you had. You didn’t have to go through this alone, Alex. That’s not how we work.”

Alex nodded. He did know that. He really did. It had just seemed like the only solution at the time despite that starting to look kind of stupid of him to believe now.

“I know. But what are we going to do now? Sometimes it takes a couple weeks for me to run into Willie and he always poofs out right away.” 

Luke’s own worry was written all over his face but he was clearly trying to keep it under control for Alex’s sake. It wasn’t that different from Reggie trying to keep a smile on his face all the time despite everything with his family or Julie showing up to band practice despite suffering from exhaustion. 

They were all really great at taking care of each other. They needed a little more practice taking care of themselves.

“We have to keep trying,” Luke finally answered. “We’ll find him cause we have to. And Julie agreed to stay away from Nick so that should slow things down and give us more time to figure out exactly what is going on. We should get back soon though. Reggie’s with Julie but I feel better when we’re all close to her right now.”

Alex nodded but didn’t poof out right away. 

“Can I ask how you’re feeling about the whole Bobby situation?”

Luke reached up to run his fingers through his hair as he huffed out a frustrated noise. He had left his hair standing up haphazardly which made Alex smile.

“Confused.”

Alex nodded. 

“Confused makes sense.”

“I don’t forgive him. He’s had a whole lifetime to come clean and do the right thing and he was too in love with being ‘Trevor Wilson’ to do it. But…”

Alex waited knowing Luke would continue once he had turned the thoughts over in his head a few times.

“But I understand why he did what he did at first. Us leaving him behind like that was messed up and I never even took the time to think about what that night must have been like for him. We called him lucky before but I’m not so sure.”

Alex nodded. He had already come to that conclusion. He didn’t want to be dead but he wanted to be alone even less. Bobby had never quite broken into the trio they were before they met him but he got closer than anyone else had. 

He had let Luke live in his garage, no questions asked. He had never taken advantage of Reggie’s kind nature. He had accepted Alex for all the things he was. He was a newer addition and he hadn’t found all the ways he fit into their dynamic yet but...he had been their family too. 

“But I still hate him. A little bit. A medium amount. I don’t know.”

Luke groaned in frustration. 

“Am I crazy? How can you be so calm about this?”

Alex smiled and shrugged.

“I freaked out too, clearly. And I get why you’re still mad. I really do. Those were your words and that was always going to be more personal than a drum section or a bass riff. And your parents were the ones who had the best chance of actually caring had they known.”

Luke nodded.

“So you’ve what? Forgiven him?”

Alex shrugged.

“It’s different for me and Reg.” He bumped Luke with his shoulder playfully. “It was mostly about the money for us and we can’t spend it now anyway.”

Luke laughed at that. Mission accomplished.

“Seriously though you have to take it at your own pace. You may never forgive him completely and that’s ok. But isn’t it good to have things out in the open and know the truth?”

Luke gave him one of those rare but intense examining looks again. They both knew they weren’t just talking about Bobby but also Alex’s lies about Willie.

Luke reached out to pat Alex’s knee a few times.

“Yeah. It’s good.”

And with that they both poofed out to go check on the rest of their friends. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So some things are out in the open now even if it may not be an answer some of you like. 
> 
> I saw an interview where they asked Owen what he wanted from season 2 for his character and he said drama. I can give him drama!
> 
> He also said he possibly wanted Alex to meet someone else and have drama by making Willie jealous or something and I couldn’t go that far lol. My Willex heart won’t allow it.
> 
> I hope you guys take some comfort in the fact that I didn’t let Alex end up believing Willie just didn’t want him. I want him to know he’s cared about even if the situation seems impossible.


	31. Stay away from living boys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it’s November 3rd and Inwoke up feeling like I was going to throw up because...reasons. Sigh. 
> 
> So please distract me with comments lol. Even if it’s just to say the chapter sucks. 
> 
> This one is for Reggie but guess what guys?? Next chapter is all Juke goodness and so think you guys are going to really like it. 
> 
> So provided the world doesn’t end tonight you can look forward to that.
> 
> Love you all. 💜

After Alex and Luke poofed out the room fell into an awkward silence. Julie was wiping her leftover tears and Bobby was staring wide eyed at the couch where his former bandmates had been a moment before. 

He was practically frozen. Reggie hadn’t seen him blink in about 10 seconds.

“Did we break him?” Reggie half-whispered to Julie. 

“Reggie!” She hissed back but then she looked over at Bobby and he could tell she thought he might be right. “Uh...Trevor are you good?”

That seemed to snap him out of it. Sort of. 

Bobby gave himself a little shake and turned to face Julie. His eyes darted uncomfortably to Reggie then back to his daughter’s former friend. 

“I’m...um...I’m fine. Are you ok? That was a lot.”

Julie nodded. 

The three lapsed into silence again. 

“So...this is wild huh?” Reggie announced, clapping his hands.

He half expected Bobby to bolt from the room at any moment. 

Instead after another brief pause Bobby took them completely by surprise by bursting out laughing. 

Reggie and Julie exchanged looks.

“I really think we broke him,” Reggie said.

Bobby shook his head though he was still laughing loudly.

“No, no. I’m good. I’m good. I just mean...come on this is hilarious.” 

“Is it?” Julie asked, her rising slightly at the end.

“25 years ago my best friends died after eating hotdogs out of the back of a car and today they showed up in my living room with a teenage girl who has recruited them to be in her band. I mean that’s…”

He was laughing again. 

“He’s got a point,” Reggie allowed.

“Yeah...well, I’m glad you’re taking it so well,” Julie said though the look on her face made it clear she was still more than a little concerned the aging rockstar in front of her had totally cracked. 

Bobby seemed to have finally gotten himself more or less together. 

“So Reg...have you guys been living in my garage the whole time or…”

“Nope. We were in this weird room for an hour and Alex cried and when it spit us out...BOOM! 2020. Crazy right?”

“Crazy,” Bobby nodded and threw his hands up in the air. “Absolutely crazy.”

“Well, I need to get home.”

Julie stood and Reggie poofed over to her side. He might be taking his protective assignment a little too far, he could probably keep an eye on her from 6 feet away, but he took the responsibility seriously. 

Bobby stood too, his face growing serious again. 

“Listen, Julie. I...I can’t explain why I can see the boys, or why you can for that matter. But...I think we both know there’s something bigger going on here. Just be careful, kid. Ok?” 

Julie nodded solemnly.

“I will.” 

“We’ll take care of her,” Reggie said firmly.

Bobby gave a small smile and nodded.

“I’m sure you will. In fact my advice? Stay away from…” Bobby trailed off, sighed then started again. “Stay away from boys. Living ones.”

Julie chuckled. 

“Got it.”

Reggie thought it was a weird time for Bobby to be giving out dating advice, or advice not to date but maybe it was a dad thing. It was still going to take a lot of mental adjusting to come to terms with the fact that Bobby was a dad now.

“Reggie...can I talk to you a sec before you go?” Bobby asked.

Julie gave Reggie a pat on the arm.

“I’ll just wait by the door.”

And then he was alone with his former friend, looking into his undeniably substitute teacher like face, searching for the teen he had known. He had seen a small glimpse of him when he was laughing. 

He had looked familiar. Mentally unstable. But familiar. 

In the middle of all the craziness, the vengeful spirits and proof of life after death and starting a new band and learning what deep dish meant...it felt good to take a moment and remember who they were before all of this.

And before all this...Reggie and Bobby had been friends. 

Bobby shifted on his feet, nerves evident as he took a step closer to Reggie.

“Look, Reggie...I realized when we were talking earlier things got heated and I never said the most important thing.”

Reggie frowned.

“That you were right about street dogs?”

Bobby chuckled. 

“No. I told you guys why I did what I did. I told you it was a mistake. But I didn’t tell you I was sorry.”

“Oh.” 

“I am, Reg. I’m so, so sorry.”

Reggie shook his head and smiled.

“Honestly, as soon as I knew you looked after Sammi I forgave you.” He admitted. “Luke on the other hand…”

Bobby sighed and ran his hand through his hair. 

“I understand. I do. I hope I get the chance to make it up to him some day. Just...can you tell him I’m sorry?”

Reggie nodded. 

“I will.”

“Can I…” Bobby reached out a hesitant hand and poked at Reggie’s shoulder. It didn’t pass through signaling he was in one of his more solid ghostly phases. 

“Yeah, that’s a thing now. Sometimes.” 

Bobby reached out again without warning, this time pulling Reggie into a tight hug.

“Oof,” Reggie had not been expecting that. 

But he had to admit it was kind of nice.

“It is nice,” Bobby agreed, his arms still tight around his ghostly friend.

“I have to stop saying my thoughts out loud without meaning to,” Reggie muttered, the sound muffled by Bobby’s chest. 

When Bobby finally released him the older man’s eyes looked suspiciously moist again. 

“Well, we’ve got to go but...see you around?”

Bobby nodded.

“Yeah, see you around.”

By the time Reggie made it back to Julie’s side near the door he had started to process what had just happened. He knew they had bigger things to worry about, and he intended to keep Julie safe until the other boys came back hopefully with good news, but it was still a trip to have an undead reunion with your backstabbing bandmate. 

Even more so when you realized you didn’t really care about said backstabbing as much as you thought you did. 

He and Julie didn’t talk much on their way back to her place but he couldn’t blame her. They both had a lot to process and he could tell Julie was still exhausted despite the fact she had slept for most of the day. He knew it was his job to make sure she was ok as she could be under the circumstances so he vowed not to be distracted for a second.

That was going ok until they arrived back at her house and Flynn was sitting on the front porch waiting for them.

She stood as they approached and shot Julie a questioning look tinged with concern. 

“I came to bring you your homework since you’re supposed to be, you know, sick. Imagine my surprise when I got here and no one was home. I thought they had rushed you to the hospital or something!”

Julie rolled her eyes.

“Don’t you think you’re being a little dramatic?” 

Flynn crossed her arms.

“Let’s examine the evidence. You took a sick day, which you never do. Your house was dark when you definitely should have been here. And now you’re standing in front of me looking like death warmed over. I’d say I’m being just the right amount of dramatic.”

“She’s got a point,” Reggie said. “And I should know. I  _ am  _ kind of death warmed over, right?”

“You think everyone had a point today,” Julie shot back tiredly.

Flynn’s eyes darted over to where Reggie was though he knew she couldn’t actually see them. 

“You’re not alone huh?”

“Reggie’s here,” Julie agreed.

Flynn grinned.

“My favorite! What a treat.”

Reggie knew she didn’t mean anything by that, not really. It was a running joke based purely on the fact that he had been the one who happened to be around in her hour of need. 

But he liked hearing it.

He must have been grinning like an idiot because Julie was definitely watching him out of the corner of her eye.

“Yeah...well, I really don’t feel so hot, Flynn. That wasn’t fake. We’ve got a lot to catch you up on though. How would you feel about an impromptu sleepover? One where we actually sleep after we talk.” 

Flynn flipped her hair over her shoulder and gestured to the bag behind her on the porch.

“Way ahead of you, Jules. Let’s go.” 

The two girls started toward the door but Reggie hesitated. Julie looked back after noticing he wasn’t joining them. 

“Aren’t you coming?”

She looked...a little nervous. 

Reggie nodded. 

“I’ll be right behind you.”

He poofed into the garage and grabbed the notebook Flynn had given him before poofing up to Julie’s room. He arrived at the exact same moment the girls did.

Julie shook her head with a tired smile as she saw Reggie sitting on her bed with the notebook beside him. 

“I should have known.”

“I wish I could do that,” Flynn said wistfully. “I could save so much time.”

“It is pretty great,” Reggie agreed despite knowing she couldn’t hear him. “I haven’t lost my shirt in weeks.” 

“I’m going to take a shower,” Julie announced through a yawn. “Maybe Reggie can catch you up on some of the madness and then I can take over when I get back?”

“Works for me,” Flynn shrugged.

Reggie however stood abruptly. 

“You can’t go on your own.”

Julie narrowed her eyes.

“You’re going to chaperone me to the  _ shower _ ?”

Flynn’s eyes widened.

“Say what now?”

Ok, so that didn’t seem like the greatest idea. He didn’t want to embarrass Julie and he definitely didn’t want to find out what Luke would think of that idea. He just wanted to keep her safe.

“I guess...just scream if you need me? Should we have a code word? Should we practice?”

Julie rolled her eyes but she smiled while she did it. 

“I’ll be fine, it’s only 2 doors down. Just stay close, ok?”

Reggie nodded and Julie scooped up some comfy clothes and headed down the hall.

Flynn shook her head.

“It gets so old only hearing half the conversation.”

“That’s understandable,” Reggie said. “I would find that annoying too. Sometimes even just hearing Alex and Luke talk about something I feel like I’m only getting half of it and I can hear everything _ they _ say and…whoa!” 

His stream of consciousness was interrupted as Flynn crossed the room and flopped down onto what he could only assume she had thought was an empty space on Julie’s bed. 

What it actually turned out to be was an empty space on Reggie’s lap. And Flynn must have realized that instantly too because as previously established he was relatively solid that day. 

“Eek!” Flynn let out a high squeak and started to topple towards the floor out of shock. 

Without stopping to think about it, Reggie wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged her back up until she was resting against him. 

Her hands came down to wrap around his arm in an effort to steady herself and they stayed like that in a shocked silence for a couple of seconds. 

“Whoa…” Flynn broke the silence as she looked down to see her hands wrapped around the arm of a guy she couldn’t actually see. “This is bizarre.”

Reggie for his part was frozen. 

“Uh...yeah, uh...weird.”

Why was he stumbling over his words in a high pitched voice when she couldn’t even hear him?

“Um, you can let me go now,” Flynn said. “Good catch.”

She gave his arm a slightly awkward pat before he retracted it quickly and she slid to the side next to the notebook he had left there earlier.

“So what have I missed?” She asked.

Reggie gave himself a shake and grabbed for the notebook and pen. 

_ A LOT  _

_ “ _ Well...can you give me bullet points or something?”

_ NICK IS AN ENERGY VAMPIRE _

_ AN EVIL GHOST ATTACKED JULIE _

_ BOBBY I MEAN TREVOR CAN SEE US NOW _

_ PRETTY SURE CALEB IS AFTER US AGAIN  _

Flynn watched the pen move over the paper, her eyes growing wider and wider as Reggie wrote. 

“Ok, never mind bullet points aren’t going to cut it. Maybe we should wait for Julie after all. I have a lot of questions and I don’t want your hand to fall off.”

That was kind of her, Reggie supposed. Honestly it didn’t seem like that outlandish of a fear given everything else going on.

There was another moment of silence before Flynn spoke up again. 

“So how are you doing? I mean...other than everything. Never mind, dumb question.”

Reggie felt honestly a little moved by it. He still remembered his disappointment back in the garage when he realized Ray wasn’t talking to him. They had a lot of problems collectively. But it was nice to be asked about himself specifically.

_ I MET MY SISTER _

_ SORT OF  _

_ SHE CAN’T SEE ME EITHER  _

Flynn nodded and smiled.

“Julie told me. What’s she like?”

_ AMAZING. BEAUTIFUL. SHE OWNS A BAKERY. _

“I would love to go,” Flynn said enthusiastically. “Mamma loves her carbs.”

Reggie laughed. 

_ WE SHOULD GO. SHE NEEDS MORE BUSINESS.  _

“Hey, if she needs more business maybe we could help somehow. I could make some posts recommending it on the Julie and the Phantoms accounts.”

Reggie felt a rush of affection for the girl sitting next to him. Really whether it was part of some big cosmic plan or it was totally random they had gotten incredibly lucky with the people whose lives they had poofed into.

Julie. Ray. Carlos. Flynn.

His found family was only growing and really if he had to be dead things could be a lot worse in the company department. 

He could see one big flaw with Flynn’s plan though. 

_ THAT WOULD BE GREAT. BUT WHAT IF SHE SEES IT? IF SHE SEES OUR VIDEO SHE MIGHT FREAK OUT. _

“True,” Flynn reached out blindly until she found his arm and gave it a friendly punch. “Just leave it to me. I’ll figure something out.” 

“Figure what out?”

Julie was back and she somehow managed to look even more tired after her shower than before it. 

“How to help Reggie’s sister’s bakery get more business.”

Julie joined them on the bed.

“I was actually thinking about that too. What if we…”

Reggie tuned out slightly as the girls discussed Sammi’s bakery and what they could do to help his sister. 

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to hear what they had to say it was just that he wanted to let the warm, fuzzy feelings their conversation provided wash over him. 

They had a lot stacked against them but he still felt lucky. He was happy to have Sammi back, sort of, mostly...but she wasn’t his only family. 

And he would fight like hell to keep them safe. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reggie got a hug and a girl sat on his lap lol. He’s having a good day all things considered.


	32. The biggest sap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never thought I would be staying up until 3am watching the news, feeling physically ill and desperately writing Juke fluff in an effort to hold on to the will to live...but here we are. 2020 is weird.
> 
> My anxiety is still at an all time high, I still feel sick to my stomach but you know what??
> 
> I come bearing Juke fluff and really that’s the best comfort I can offer to myself and the world right now. 🙃
> 
> I love this chapter and I never say that. My precious children are just being precious together. There’s a tiny bit of Alex and Luke cuteness and Reggie and Flynn cuteness too. Because I love you guys and I want that for you lol.
> 
> We have one more character based chapter next and then we’ve made it to the battle of the bands. Remember that? It’s still happening. And if you think it will go smoothly and not have some major craziness...are you new here lol?
> 
> Ok, that’s enough of me rambling. Today is another day I’m really counting on your lovely comments to get me through.

When Luke and Alex made it back to Julie’s house it was mostly dark. The subtle glow of a lamp could be seen through Julie’s window but that was it. 

Luke knew that was normal, that Ray had told Julie he might not be back until really late and that Carlos was at his aunt’s place. He also knew that Reggie was with her and wouldn’t let anything happen to Julie if he could help it. 

Still. There was something ominous about a dark house after what she had gone through the other night. Ray couldn’t do much for his daughter if Caleb decided to stage an attack but Luke still would have felt better if her dad had been home. 

Alex noticed his hesitation as he stared up at her window.

“Go on, man.”

He gave Luke a firm pat on the back and gestured up at the window Luke’s attention was fixated on. 

“You’re not going to stop freaking out until you’re looking at her for yourself. And send Reggie down while you’re at it. The kid needs a break.”

Luke rolled his eyes and gave his friend a playful elbow to the side. 

“You mean you’re ready to tell him what you just told me but you don’t want to admit you’re about to get sappy again?”

“Maybe. But we all know you’re the bigger sap.” 

Luke gave his friend a gentle shove, his face a mask of disbelief. 

“No way, bro. Not a chance.” 

“I can prove it,” Alex said in a sing-song voice dancing away from Luke’s attempt to shove him again. “Watch this. Julie.”

Luke stopped his friendly attack and gave Alex a questioning look.

“What?”

“See! That was it. Your Julie Face.” 

Luke sputtered. 

“I do not have a Julie Face.” 

“You do. And that was it. Admit it you’re a sap.”

Luke wasn’t an idiot. He knew he could be a sap sometimes. When he got going about music and how it had the power to connect the world. When Ray made him cry with his garage speech about not wanting to move. And yes, when a certain vocal powerhouse did something particularly amazing...or sweet...or cute...or just existed too close to him...ok, he was a sap. But he didn’t have to admit that out loud to Alex. He still had a shred of dignity. He hoped.

So instead of answering the charges his friend was accusing him of he simply reached up and snatched Alex’s hat from his head, tossing it in the direction of the garage.

“Dude! Respect the hat!” 

Luke laughed and poofed up to Julie’s room. 

What he saw when he arrived was both what he expected and what he hadn’t. Because Julie was curled up in her bed sleeping, despite the fact that it was relatively early and that she had already slept most of the day. 

But Reggie and Flynn were also there. Sitting on the floor passing a notebook back and forth and scribbling notes to each other like the girls back in the 90s used to do during class. Luke knew that Flynn couldn’t see Reggie but it was easy to forget when he saw them sitting next to each other, legs stretched out and heads tilted so they almost touched. And they both had goofy smiles on their faces.

But he knew from Flynn’s perspective she was sitting next to a floating notebook. 

His first thought was that she had a truly incredible tolerance for weirdness, maybe even more so than Julie.

His second thought was that the picture the pair painted was pretty adorable. 

Alex was so right. He was a total sap.

Reggie caught sight of him and quickly informed Julie’s friend through the notebook. Flynn offered him a small wave while Reggie pointed to Julie before giving Luke a thumbs up. 

“Thanks, man,” Luke whispered. 

Reggie just smiled as he and Flynn both stood. 

“Any luck?” Reggie asked.

Luke knew he was asking about finding Willie. He couldn’t get into that again without panicking so he waved his friend off.

“Alex is in the studio he can fill you in. He could probably use a hug too.”

Reggie saluted. 

“On it.”

The bassist then turned to Flynn and offered her a smile that she definitely didn’t see. He reached out and tapped her arm as a form of goodbye.

“Night, Reg.”

“Reg now huh?” Luke teased.

“Yep.” Reggie replied, popping the “p” to emphasize how little he was phased by Luke’s teasing. “I’ll see you tomorrow, dude.” 

He poofed out leaving Flynn standing slightly awkwardly next to Luke. 

“I assume you’re somewhere around here, lover boy,” Flynn whispered, waving a hand just to Luke’s left. “Look, I’m going to go sleep in the guest room. I don’t sleep on floors. No ghostly funny business, mmkay? Just protect my girl from any ghost or zombie or whatever attacks.”

“Zombies. Got it,” Luke shook his head as Flynn left the room and headed down the hall leaving him to turn his attention to the girl in the bed. 

She was barely visible except as a small bump under her blanket. The worry he felt at the sight was almost overwhelming. She had been fighting exhaustion for awhile now but it wasn’t lost on him that she wasn’t bouncing back the way she had before. What if her agreeing to keep her distance from Nick wasn’t enough?

What if it was too late?

He couldn’t think like that. 

Luke kicked off his shoes and made his way over to the bed, crawling carefully onto the side not occupied by Julie.

He eased himself down gently doing his best not to wake her. His efforts were pretty much pointless though. As soon as his head lowered to one of the pillows, Julie’s eyes fluttered open. 

“Hey,” She murmured, a small, tired smile appearing on her face.

He knew he didn’t have a heart anymore, not really. But he could have sworn he felt it skip a beat.

“Hey.”

“Did you find Willie?” She asked quietly.

Luke wanted so badly to be able to say yes, to sweep in as the hero and tell her he had all the answers and nothing else bad would happen to her.

But that just wasn’t the reality.

“Not yet,” He tried to infuse his voice with calm and confidence but he knew he wasn’t being entirely successful. “We will though. Soon.” 

An unreadable emotion flickered behind Julie’s eyes but her only actual response was a slight nod. 

“You feeling ok?” He asked her, his eyes drifting over the little of her he could see from under the blanket, looking for what he wasn’t exactly sure. It wasn’t like any of her injuries would be visible. 

Julie didn’t answer with words. Instead she drew one of her arms out from under the blanket and reached out for him. He expected her to grab for his hand which would have been more than enough to have him feeling his sap status cemented but when she instead rested her palm against his cheek he felt the sap levels shooting off the scale. 

“I’m ok. What about you?”

Luke shook his head, in theory expressing his amusement at the question, but it was also a convenient excuse to press his cheek a little more firmly into her hand.

“Of course you would ask me that. Can you ever just let me worry about you for once?” 

Julie’s mouth twitched towards a true smile. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Uh huh,” Luke chuckled quietly. “I bet.”

“I can’t help it you know,” She offered helplessly. “I’ve felt so connected to you guys from the beginning. I can’t help but worry.”

“Connections go two ways, Jules,” He reminded her insistently. 

Julie let her hand fall off of his cheek and Luke caught it in his hand not ready to end their contact. 

He glanced down at the small hand he held in his and felt a rush of emotion. He knew he had only known her a few short months. He knew he had lived a life, written songs and dreamed of a future none of which had involved her. He  _ knew _ that in the very small, increasingly quiet, logical part of his brain. But most of him could barely believe that was a reality. Somehow  _ that  _ felt harder for him to believe than everything else that had happened, including his return to life as a ghost. Without letting himself think about his actions too hard he lifted their joined hands and brushed a quick kiss to her knuckles. 

He heard the sharp intake of breath that indicated he had taken Julie completely by surprise with that move. 

“Sorry...I just…”

“No, it’s fine.” She cut him off, her voice slightly squeaky with lingering shock. 

The pure adorableness of her reaction was enough to shake Luke out of his own embarrassment. He couldn’t help but grin at the way he could make out the deep blush on her cheeks even in the relatively low light spilling from the lamp. 

Her warm welcome was more than he had hoped for honestly given the distance he had still felt between them at Bobby’s. 

He might as well seize this opportunity to put all of that behind them for good.

“Julie, I’m sorry for the way I handled the Nick thing. I’m sorry for the way I handled a lot of things.”

“I know you mean well,” She assured him, her voice almost impossibly soft. “And I’m grateful that you’re looking out for me. But I need to feel like you hear me too.” 

“I do,” Luke said earnestly, before checking himself. “I mean...sometimes it takes me awhile. I’m working on it.”

Julie smiled affectionately.

“I know,” She said. “And I’m sorry too. Even if I was right about you being jealous I knew deep down you wouldn’t tell me something so important unless you meant it.” 

Luke scrunched up his face in mock distaste. 

“Who says you were right about me being jealous?”

Julie reached up with her free hand and pointed at herself.

Luke couldn’t help it, he let out a short burst of laughter. 

“Well, I can’t argue with her. I’m trying to get back on her good side.” 

“Good luck,” Julie struggled to keep a straight face. “She’s tough.”

Luke nodded. He knew they were joking but he also couldn’t agree with the statement more.

“She is.”

Julie’s face grew serious at the soft tone of his voice.

Luke felt the familiar uncomfortable feeling growing within him, the one that indicated they had stumbled into a moment too intense to deny and too scary to acknowledge. Half of his instincts were screaming for him to roll over or get up, put some distance between them. 

He didn’t want to be anywhere else but he was also pretty terrified to be this close to Julie when she was looking up at him like that. Like he meant a lot to her. Like he meant  _ too  _ much to her when he still didn’t understand how he was back from the dead and when he still knew he could be ripped away at any moment. He was working so hard to protect her from Caleb but he wasn’t sure he could protect her from himself. 

He wasn’t sure he had it in himself to try.

Just when his thoughts were getting away from him Julie seemed to make a decision for both of them. 

Their hands were still linked and she took advantage of that fact to tug him closer. Of course her soft tug on his hand wasn’t enough to physically move him but realistically there was no way he could do anything but answer when she silently asked him for comfort. 

He scooted closer and slowly, giving her plenty of time to change her mind, Luke draped his free arm over her waist. Julie let out a soft breath and leaned forward until her forehead pressed gently against his.

“Are you sure you’re ok?” He whispered.

There was a pause before Julie whispered back.

“No.” 

For the first time she allowed genuine fear to leak into her tone when it came to herself rather than her friends.

Luke tugged her even closer.

“We’re going to figure this out. I promise.”

Julie nodded, her forehead sliding gently against his.

“I believe you.” 

And that was that. Because Luke was willing to do whatever it took to be worthy of that belief.

He pulled back just enough to press a barely there kiss to her forehead. 

“Go back to sleep,” He ordered gently, repositioning them so her head could slide down to slot more comfortably against his neck. 

“What about you?” She asked, her voice barely audible through the haze of sleep descending on her again and the way her face was pressed against him.

He tried and failed not to shiver at the feel of her lips brushing against his collarbone as she spoke.

Luke smiled against the crown of her head.

“I’m still practicing. I’m getting close. I can feel it.”

She didn’t answer as she was already asleep. 

Luke settled in for a long night and honestly...he wasn’t complaining. 

Yeah, Alex had it right. 

He was the biggest sap by a long shot. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go in peace my friends. May the sweet, sweet Juke content heal your souls. 🙃


	33. Best decision you ever made

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m really glad I was able to give a lot of you a momentary happy distraction with last chapter’s Juke sweetness. 
> 
> This chapter is not that but I hope you will enjoy it anyway. Flynn’s secret admirer situation gets a big update and she has a heart to heart with Julie who is not doing well on a few different levels.
> 
> Battle of the bands is next! 
> 
> Enjoy and let me know what you think. 💜

To say Flynn was stressed would be a bit of an understatement.

She had showed up at Julie’s house expecting to drop off some homework and possibly talk a little last minute strategy for the battle of the bands on Friday. 

Instead she had ended up leaving the next morning with Julie to head to school with the knowledge that Caleb was after her friends again, Carrie’s dad had suddenly gained the ability to see ghosts, and Nick had been potentially body snatched and was trying to suck Julie’s life force out. 

So much for focusing on the history quiz in second period. 

“So you don’t think her dad would tell Carrie about the guys, right?”

Julie shook her head sluggishly. 

“No way. He knows that would be a disaster.”

Flynn nodded. That made a lot of sense to her. Surely even her dad knew Carrie wasn’t the type to take the confirmation of the existence of the supernatural particularly well. 

She would either freak out and start screaming about it to anyone who would listen or she would possibly manage to find some way to use it to her advantage and achieve world domination.

Neither were good outcomes. They didn’t need a lot of people poking their noses in and asking questions. And Flynn was too young to have to flee to a cave or something to avoid living in a Carrie dictatorship. 

“And Nick...do we think he’s been brainwashed or body snatched?”

Julie sighed.

“No idea. Does it matter? Either way I need to avoid him until we can figure out a way to help him.”

“I’m on it,” Flynn assured her friend, shooting her a worried look. “You still look awful, Jules.”

“Thanks a lot,” Julie muttered.

“I’m just worried about you!” Flynn explained hurriedly. “You haven’t been around him for a few days now but you don’t seem to be bouncing back.”

Julie took a deep breath.

“I will.”

Flynn didn’t argue. She wanted to believe that and more importantly she wanted  _ Julie _ to believe that. But inwardly she was flooded with doubts. This wasn’t the periodic yawning she had noticed her friend doing a few weeks ago. This was a pale, slow walking, shoulders slumped version of her friend with purple circles under her eyes. Ray had tried to convince her to take another sick day, taking one look at her and assuming she had the flu or something.

Julie had insisted she felt better though and in the end he had let her go. Flynn knew no dad could be more loving and supportive than Ray but sometimes she wished he felt comfortable putting his foot down more often. She wasn’t exactly thrilled Julie was dragging herself to school either. She looked like she needed more time to recover and it was obviously going to be easier to avoid Nick from inside her own house. 

But it was too late now because they had made it to the school and no sooner had they headed towards their lockers than Nick appeared in the hallway. 

Flynn linked her arm with Julie’s and tugged her determinedly down the hall planning to barrel right past him. 

Of course he had different plans. 

He stepped into their path and smirked. Ok, she was definitely going with body snatched over brainwashed. Maybe he wasn’t pretending so hard anymore or maybe she just knew what to look for now, but she couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen it before. The look on his face, the tilt of his head, even the way he was standing...he looked like a completely different person. 

“Hello ladies, having a good morning?”

Flynn jerked Julie back to keep her out of touching distance in case Nick got any ideas, and pivoted them both around him so they could continue down the hall.

“Don’t even think about it, buddy!” She practically shouted, drawing the attention of pretty much everyone in the hallway. 

She was beyond caring about any potential embarrassment or judgement that would result from her seemingly weird behavior. This went beyond petty high school popularity. Whoever was currently wearing Nick had threatened her best friend and he was about to find out what Double Trouble really meant.

As she basically dragged Julie down the hall she paused only long enough to point up at her eyes and then back at Nick. He smirked again indicating he had gotten the message that she was on to him. Good.

“Flynn, can we slow down?” Julie begged, stumbling at her side. 

“Sorry,” Flynn slowed her steps.

Unfortunately that happened to bring them to a stop more or less right next to Carrie who was examining them as if they had suddenly sprouted additional heads. 

“You have clearly finally lost it,” She pointed at Flynn before flicking her finger towards Julie. “And you look terrible which is nothing new. But you could at least have the decency not to expose the rest of us to your germs.”

“And yet you expose us to your disease of a personality every day,” Flynn snapped back once again, tugging Julie further down the hall.

“Seriously, Flynn, I need to slow down,” Julie groaned.

That wasn’t a problem as it turned out. Flynn came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the hallway, the halt in movement so sudden Julie jerked back at her side.

“Flynn!” Julie protested.

“Sorry,” Flynn said, her voice sounding strange to her own ears. “But can you tell me if I’m seeing things or if my locker really has become some kind of botanical garden?”

Julie must have seen what she was talking about at that moment because her only response was a soft gasp.

Flynn’s locker was absolutely covered in roses poking out of the slots and trailing down to the floor where at least a dozen more were scattered. There was a sizable crowd gathered around the area out of obvious curiosity so she couldn’t make the scene out perfectly but she could see enough. 

“You have got to be kidding me.”

Oh good, Carrie had joined them. 

She didn’t have much time to worry about that though because a figure was emerging from the crowd clutching yet another rose and she knew exactly who it was. 

Brad.

He stopped in front of the unlikely trio of girls and smiled shyly.

“Do you like it?”

Flynn was having a little trouble processing her thoughts. She knew she had a lot of questions and she knew she should be embarrassed and angry and several other things actually. 

But she wasn’t perfect and the sight of her locker surrounded by roses and a cute boy smiling at her left her brain a little fuzzy. 

“I...flowers. Like em. I mean...flowers, I like flowers.” 

“Does anyone speak idiot?” Carrie asked mockingly. “We need a translator.”

Julie for her part gave her a small elbow to the side which seemed to be enough to bring Flynn back to herself...mostly.

“You  _ are  _ my secret admirer,” Flynn said, managing to infuse her voice with some criticism this time around. “So what happened at the party?”

“I panicked. I was so anxious and I thought you would be disappointed it was me and I just...panicked. Can you forgive me?”

Flynn hesitated. She wasn’t stupid. She knew that what Brad had done hadn’t been cool. No matter how nervous he was that didn’t excuse putting her through what had been a truly terrible night. He had hurt her, intentionally or not. 

But it was hard to say he wasn’t learning from his mistakes. After all, wasn’t he here putting himself out there in as public a way as possible?

Plus...he was cute and he had flowers and she was human. 

“I don’t know,” She answered, mostly because she could feel Julie glaring at him from beside her not because she was actually still angry. 

“Just go to homecoming with me,” Brad suggested. “Just one date and if you don’t want to go out again that’s ok. But I really like you, Flynn.” 

Ok, she was melting. He was looking at her so earnestly and even when Carrie scoffed he only glanced in her direction but didn’t back down.

“Ok, I’ll go to homecoming with you.”

She heard the huff of air that meant Julie wasn’t entirely pleased with her answer and a suspiciously similar noise from Carrie indicated the former friends had found something they agreed on. 

And Flynn got it she really did, at least when it came to Julie’s doubts. 

But as much as she loved the girl standing next to her with all her heart, she wasn’t just Julie’s friend Flynn. She was her own person with dreams and hopes and feelings all her own. At the end of the day it was her heart she was risking and Julie would just have to respect that the same way Flynn had come around to the Luke situation. 

“Has the whole world lost its mind today?” Carrie broke the silence. 

Brad glanced at her with a smile on his face before he turned back to Flynn. He handed her the rose he held.

“Thanks for giving me another chance. I promise it will be a memorable night.” 

The warning bell for first period sounded and the crowd reluctantly dispersed. When it was just her and Julie, Flynn chanced a look at her friend who looked predictably unhappy.

“Don’t start,” Flynn cautioned her friend. “It’s just one date. I didn’t agree to marry the guy. Besides we’re focusing on keeping you away from the soul sucker, k?”

Julie nodded and let herself be pulled to first period despite the fact her expression hadn’t lightened. 

Flynn knew she would be hearing more about it later and that turned out to be completely true. No sooner had she dropped to the grass during lunch then Julie was starting the conversation up again. 

“Are you sure about this, Flynn?”

Flynn sighed. You would think Julie had enough on her mind these days. She was both flattered and frustrated that her friend found room in her brain to focus on her bff’s potential love life.

“I’m not  _ sure _ ,” Flynn acknowledged. “But I’ve decided to give him a second chance and I feel ok about it.” 

Julie paused and Flynn could practically see the thoughts rushing through her mind. 

“What about Reggie?” She finally asked, scrunching her face up as though part of her immediately regretted saying it.

Ok, that took Flynn by surprise. 

“What about him?”

“You two have been getting close lately,” Julie observed, her voice a little desperate. 

Flynn felt both of her eyebrows shooting up.

“Well, yeah...we’re friends now but...Julie, he’s a ghost.”

“So is Luke and you’re ok with our...whatever it is now.”

Flynn shook her head. 

“Luke is a ghost you can  _ see and hear _ . It’s not exactly the same thing. Plus Luke is totally head over heels for you and that’s not my situation.”

“I think Reggie likes you though,” Julie insisted.

Flynn hesitated. That was news to her. He was a flirt that was undeniable but since they had started hanging out he had never once said something that made her think he had serious feelings for her. 

“He told you that?”

“Well...not exactly,” Julie sighed.

Flynn echoed her sigh. 

“Look, Jules, Reggie and I are friends and lord knows he’s cute. If the situation was different maybe...but it’s not. That isn’t real. Brad is real. And he likes me.”

“Of course he does,” Julie grumbled. “How could he not when you’re so awesome?”

Flynn grinned at her friend’s half-pouting expression. Even when Julie was thoroughly annoyed she couldn’t help but hype her friend up. It was charming, if a little humorous.

“So are you going to support my decision?” Flynn asked, tilting her head to meet her friend’s eyes.

Julie sighed yet again.

“I’ll always support you, Flynn. I just wish I felt like this was more of a sure thing for you.” 

Flynn frowned.

“There’s no such thing as a sure thing, Julie.”

Julie glanced away, almost  _ guiltily  _ and suddenly several puzzle pieces snapped together in Flynn’s mind.

“Yeah, sure, of course.”

Flynn narrowed her eyes and placed a hand on Julie’s arm.

“Jules...you know Luke might still cross over someday, right?”

Julie nodded quickly.

“Of course. He probably will. Maybe. But he  _ might  _ not. He doesn’t want to and as far as we know ghosts don’t  _ have  _ to so maybe.”

Flynn tugged on her friend’s arm until she turned to face her fully again. 

“Jules, when all this started I thought you liked Luke because you couldn’t have him but now I’m worrying it’s the opposite.” 

“What are you talking about?” Julie asked incredulously.

“Unless something drastic happens he’s always going to be a cute, 17 year old rockstar. He’s never going to play in someone else’s band, he’s never going to move away, he’s not going to die  _ again.  _ I think you’ve latched on to the idea that he’s someone who can never leave you.”

Julie was shocked into silence.

“That’s...that’s not fair,” She finally spoke up. “That’s not why I like him.”

Flynn nodded quickly.

“I know, I know, I’m sorry. I agree you two are kind of sickeningly perfect for each other and have this whole cosmic fate thing going on. But you have to accept that nothing is guaranteed to be forever, not even when it involves ghosts. Love is never going to come without risk. That’s just how it is.”

“Love?” Julie practically whispered.

“Love,” Flynn said firmly. “But you don’t have to call it that if you’re not ready.”

Julie sighed yet again and leaned over to rest her head tiredly on Flynn’s shoulder. 

Flynn rested her head on top of her friends in turn, the two just being with each other for a few moments.

“I know I love you if that counts for anything,” Julie said softly.

Flynn smiled.

“Best decision you ever made.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suspect people will have a lot to say about Flynn’s decision lol. 
> 
> On a less controversial note I just love her friendship with Julie. Those two are the true love story, let’s be honest.


	34. Bathroom conversations and band battles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I normally post my chapters early in the morning my time. So as I prepare to post this at a few minutes before midnight what I want you to ask yourself is this...
> 
> Is today’s chapter late or is tomorrow’s chapter early???
> 
> The answer is that it’s a trick question. At this point in this particular week time does not exist.
> 
> 🙃🙃🙃🙃 
> 
> Anyway...here it is! As the title suggests we have a pair of bathroom conversations which are each fun in their own way. 
> 
> We also have the battle of the bands which allowed me to write lyrics for not only our band but a few for “Nick” and Carrie’s performances too. That was a fun challenge for sure!
> 
> I also have to apologize to one of you who totally called the end of this chapter. Sorry that I’m predictable, please forgive me lol. 
> 
> Fun fact, from this point on all of the remaining chapters take place within 48 hours within the world of the story. Who’s excited for the world’s craziest weekend for our characters?

Caleb stood in front of the mirror in one of the most truly demoralizing places on the planet. 

A boy’s bathroom in a high school.

It was hardly the gilded dressing rooms where he had prepared for his magic shows during the height of his career.

Still. 

He adjusted the collar on Nick’s shirt and examined the boy’s face in his reflection. He couldn’t say he had enjoyed his time in this rather simple minded host but he knew later he would look back on this time with pride and nostalgia. It might not have been glamorous but he had no doubt this would go down as his most important performance of all time. In a very short amount of time he would be returned to his true form, free of the embarrassment of having let those children escape him, and in possession of one new diva ghost on the keys. 

So he was going to allow himself a moment to gloat as he prepared for his performance in the school’s little battle of the bands. If he had to do it in one of the most disgusting places imaginable then so be it.

“Boss!” Dante phased in and Caleb jumped at his lackey’s sudden appearance.

“God damn it, Dante. I’ve told you not to do that.”

“Sorry, boss,” Dante apologized hurriedly. “I wanted to give you an update. I had an idea.”

Caleb gave the other ghost a skeptical look.

“ _You_ had an idea?”

Dante nodded eagerly.

“I know you wanted Willie to lead that band to what you’re doing but he was avoiding them. So I set a trap and made sure he overheard enough to freak him out. He’ll definitely find them and tell them you’re behind it now.”

Caleb sighed.

“Well, as per usual you are behind the curve, Dante. They already figured it out without young William’s help. Your efforts have had absolutely no effect.”

“Oh.”

“No matter, no need to feel down. After all I still have a lot for you to do tonight.”

Dante perked up at that.

“You do?”

Caleb turned back to the mirror and adjusted the collar on Nick’s shirt once more, grinning with the boy’s face for one of the last times.

“Oh yes. We’re having a party tomorrow, Dante. I need you to prepare an occasion to remember for our guests.”

* * *

Julie and Flynn were staring into the mirror in a green room a little less impressive than the one they had hung out in at the Orpheum. 

The girl’s bathroom at their school.

Still. They needed somewhere to get Julie ready for her performance at the battle of the bands and it had the added benefit of being conveniently close to a toilet in case she got “yak in a bowl” nervous again. 

She knew it didn’t make a lot of sense to be so nervous about performing at her school again after putting on shows at legendary venues on the strip. But she remembered how her last attempt to perform in the school gym had gone and she had no doubt Carrie would be ready to jump on any misstep. 

In theory they were supposed to be in class right now but the excitement over the battle of the bands was so high that most of the teacher’s had given up on trying to teach anything for the rest of the day. Mrs. Harrison certainly had, releasing those who were performing to get ready and letting the rest head to the gym to get the best seats. The whole school was coming and they were even having some of the nearby elementary and middle school students over to watch. 

Even her little brother would be there to see her glory. Or her crushing defeat. One or the other.

“Julie?” 

Flynn waved her hand in front of her friend’s face in an effort to gain her attention. 

“Hmm?” Julie forced herself back to the present moment. 

“I was just saying our Random Act of Awesome challenge is going great. A ton of people are showing up to Sammi’s place. They aren’t tagging the band’s page like we told them not to but they _are_ tagging Sunrise Bakery. I swear make anything a challenge and they will follow the seemingly nonsensical rules without questioning anything.” 

“Right, no I heard...some of that.” 

Julie knew she wasn’t coming across as particularly convincing. 

Flynn for her part wasn’t doing a great job of disguising how worried she was which Julie appreciated on a friendship confirmation level. In terms of calming her nerves though...not so much. 

“Are you sure you’re up to this?” Flynn asked. “You’ve looked like someone just woke you up in the middle of the night for days now.”

Julie sighed and turned to the mirror where her reflection confirmed that statement. Despite their best efforts with makeup she still looked pale and exhausted.

“I’m not sure,” Julie admitted. “But I’m not walking away from this now. I can do it.”

“If you say so,” Flynn clearly wanted to say more but managed not to. “You’re doing a new song right? I don’t even think I’ve heard this one.”

Julie could feel a blush fighting to make its way onto her cheeks. 

“Yeah...Luke and I got some last minute inspiration.” 

“Oh?” Flynn raised an eyebrow. “How did that go?”

Julie struggled to put into words the truly odd vibe that particular writing session had given off. Luke hadn’t wanted to write at all, insisting that Julie needed rest more than they needed a new song. Once she had finally convinced him the lyrics had flowed easily enough for both of them but the discussions they would usually have about the meaning behind the words were notably absent. 

“It was a little awkward. You ever have one of those conversations where you’re almost saying what you want to say to each other and actually not saying anything? But you’re pretty sure you both know what you’re saying by not saying anything but you can’t be sure because...you’re not saying anything?”

There was a moment of silence during which Julie had time not just to regret that word vomit but also her entire existence leading up to that point. 

Flynn’s expression was a mixture of confusion, fondness and amusement. 

“Uh, I’m pretty sure that’s just a you guys thing,” Flynn insisted. “So what you’re telling me is you guys wrote a bomb song about your feelings for each other and yet managed not to talk about your unspoken love story...again.”

Julie cringed and tilted her head.

“Pretty much.”

Flynn reached out and patted Julie’s shoulder.

“My poor, emotionally stunted children. Tell me you at least have a plan for confessing your undying love to that boy before you’re 80 and he’s looking as young and fine as ever.” 

Julie took a deep breath. 

“Sort of. I’ve been writing a different song, by myself, that kind of says it all. But I don’t know if it’s the right time. Or if it will ever be.”

Flynn stepped closer and took hold of both of her friend’s shoulders giving her a gentle shake. 

“There’s never going to be a perfect moment, Jules. You’ve just got to go for it. Remember, no such thing as a sure thing.” 

Julie saw the logic in what Flynn was saying she really did. But that didn’t change the fact that she was scared. Not scared that Luke didn’t return her feelings exactly but scared that if she pushed them to change things it would be on her if something went wrong.

Clearly sensing her hesitation, Flynn spoke again.

“How about this, leave it up to fate. If you win the battle of the bands you play him that song and confess tonight. Deal?”

Julie swallowed hard. Could it really be that simple?

“I don’t know…”

Flynn let her hands drop from Julie’s shoulders down to her hands which she took in both of hers.

“I _do_. You are a badass, rockstar, ghost saving goddess and you’ve got this.” 

“Yeah,” Julie said, trying to convince herself even as she agreed out loud. “Yeah, you’re right. Ok if we win...I’ll play him the song and tell him how I feel.”

Flynn bounced on her heels a little in excitement. 

“That’s my girl! Tonight love confession tomorrow we track down Willie and figure out how to kick Caleb’s ghost butt. But hold that thought because it’s time for us to get backstage and find the guys.”

By the time they made it backstage Julie was starting to think agreeing to that deal had been a giant mistake. Now on top of her nerves over the competition she felt completely nervous to even look at Luke’s face. Which was inconvenient given they were supposed to be performing together in about ten minutes. 

She did appreciate that the guys were there early, waiting for her and sparing her from any additional anxiety based around if they would show up or something would go wrong and keep them away. 

Luke of course shot her a smile and gave her a quick once over to check on her as soon as she arrived. Reggie waved at Flynn who had joined them in theory to set up the ceiling projector. Of course she didn’t actually need to do that and she couldn’t actually see Reggie, but Julie thought it was a cute almost interaction anyway. 

“Ok everybody, gather up!”

All of the bands gathered together as Mrs. Harrison gave out the final instructions. 

“Alright everyone, we have six bands who have signed up for the competition today. We’ve done a random draw to determine the order to perform and that will be Bring Me the Melons, The Torch Monkeys, Swinging Dolls, Dirty Candy, Nick’s Classic Rock Trio, and finally Julie and the Phantoms. The winner will be decided by a panel from the music faculty and our guest judge from the studio offering the recording time. The winner will perform at tomorrow’s dance as well as receive that studio time. Good luck to all of you!” 

As the first band prepared to go on everyone else moved to the wings. 

“You ready to do this?” Luke asked the rest of the band.

“If by this you mean rock their faces off then absolutely,” Alex answered.

“High fives all around!” Reggie exclaimed. 

He got his high five from his ghostly bandmates and Julie managed to give him one subtly so none of her classmates spotted it. Reggie kept his hand out though determined to get a high five from Flynn as well. Unfortunately not only could she not see him but she was distracted by a certain lacrosse player who was sitting in the front row. 

Reggie followed her gaze until his eyes landed on Brad before darting back to Flynn. He frowned as his hand slowly fell back down to his side. 

Luke and Alex exchanged glances before Luke placed a hand on Reggie’s shoulder.

“You got your head in the game, Reg?”

Reggie plastered on a smile. 

“Yeah...yeah, I’m good.”

Luke turned to Julie. 

“What about you? Feeling ok?”

Julie didn’t see much point in lying to him. She was sure she hadn’t suddenly visibly recovered in the last five minutes so he must be able to see for himself she wasn’t doing so hot. 

“It will be great,” She said instead of answering his question. 

He sighed, clearly not fooled but deciding not to press it further. He did glare across the stage towards where Nick or whoever was currently occupying his body was huddled with the two guys who would be performing with him. Nick was looking right back, a smirk on his face that gave Julie the shivers. 

Carrie was also glaring at Julie from nearby. 

Good to know they were so popular with their fellow competitors. 

She didn’t have much time to linger on the high levels of tension floating around backstage because the first band was kicking off their performance. It was a group of seniors who had a band no one could quite figure out if it was a joke or a serious endeavor. Their main claim to fame was incorporating the word melons into every song. 

The next group were freshmen who had a lot of energy but not quite as much skill with their instruments. Several times their guitarist hit a sour note that had Luke grimacing beside her. She was sure he was half tempted to poof out and take over but luckily he resisted that urge.

The third group was an all girl pop punk band that were pretty good. The crowd seemed to be feeding off of their energy and the amount of cheers in the gym was increasing by the minute.

Dirty Candy was up next and Julie had to admit they were putting on an amazing show. They were the only group that were performing choreography on top of singing and yet they still sounded great. Carrie in particular was on top of her game and the crowd was loving it. 

_Hate me cause I know what I want_

_Hate me cause I don’t ask permission_

_Hate me cause I know what I’m worth_

_But don’t hate me cause I’m on a mission_

_You can hate me if you want_

_But you still know I’m the one_

_You can hate me if you want_

_But loving me’s more fun_

The lyrics weren’t exactly what Julie would have chosen to write about but they were...kind of good. They were very Carrie and they were working. She was definitely competition. 

Nick was next. Luke stepped protectively in front of Julie as he passed with the other two guys he was performing with. Their song turned out to be in a classic rock style and they too were really good. Nick had even more charisma than normal as he sang and played guitar. 

_If all that glitters isn’t gold_

_I will still choose to shine_

_They say that life just isn’t fair_

_But I will get what’s mine_

_You can have the spotlight now_

_But I am on my way_

_And you’ll be begging to be my side_

_By the end of the day_

_Never running out of time_

_Nobody shines like I shine_

_Why would you say no_

_When you could stand in my glow_

_Baby everything’s fine_

_Nobody shines like I shine_

Nick finished the song with a guitar solo that echoed in the gym as it faded away. 

“Ok, that was good,” Alex admitted.

“It was fine,” Luke shrugged. “Now it’s our turn and we’re going to kill it.”

He turned to Julie.

“Ready?”

She took a deep breath and nodded before walking out onto the stage. She took her place behind the keyboard and began to play. She had worried that her less than energetic state would keep her from remembering the song or that she wouldn’t be able to focus. Luckily that didn’t seem to be the case. She still felt terrible, that was undeniable, but she also felt the same magic she always felt when they performed. She let the first verse flow out of her while still alone on stage, trying to infuse it with all the emotions of the last few weeks. 

_It can be so easy to let us be pulled apart_

_The world will never make it simple_

_Been that way from the start_

_But I don’t need their voices_

_Cluttering up my mind_

_It all comes to down to choices_

_And I’ll choose you every time_

The boys poofed in and the crowd roared. Julie felt a brief moment of lightheadedness as she grabbed her mic and stood to move to the center of the stage. Luckily there was a brief instrumental section so she had time to recover, which she did. She danced her way closer to Luke, taking the time to vibe with both Reggie and Alex on the way. 

When she reached him she couldn’t help but grin which he met with one of his own. She had missed this. 

They dove into the chorus with Alex and Reggie joining them to emphasize certain words giving them a full sound that echoed in the gym even over the noise of the audience. 

_The time for second guessing_

_Has already come and gone_

_Nothing’s left except confessing_

_We’ve got to_

_Take this feeling and make it a melody_

_Take these dreams and sing them to reality_

_Make everybody clap along to everything we ever wanted_

_The music we make is only getting better_

_And everyone knows_

_We’re stronger together_

Luke took the next verse and Julie found herself getting lost in his eyes as he sang the lyrics they had written together back to her. 

_I can be so sure of all the wrong things_

_Somehow we never make it simple_

_Even when it stings_

_But we don’t need our fears_

_Cluttering up our minds_

_It all comes down to choices_

_And I’ve already made mine_

She managed to tear herself away from him as they moved into the bridge, making sure to play up their performance for the audience. It was hard to make out the crowd as individuals, they looked more like a blur to her at the moment which probably wasn’t the best sign. They sounded like an enthusiastic blur though so hopefully that meant they were enjoying it.

_We know now_

_We won’t always see eye to eye_

_But I hear your voice and you hear mine_

_And we can’t slow down_

_Or hesitate_

_This isn’t a coincidence_

_It’s fate_

_And we’re stronger together_

Julie couldn’t deny it anymore she was starting to feel well and truly on the brink of passing out. Her ears were ringing and spots were dancing in the corner of her vision. There was only one chorus left. She could do this. She could do this. 

She turned towards Luke and let his smile give her the burst of energy she needed to finish the song. 

_The time for second guessing_

_Has already come and gone_

_Nothing’s left except confessing_

_We’ve got to_

_Take this feeling and make it a melody_

_Take these dreams and sing them to reality_

_Make everybody clap along to everything we ever wanted_

_The music we make is only getting better_

_And everyone knows_

_We’re stronger together_

The last note rang out and Julie felt a sense of triumph wash over her. She did it. 

So why didn’t Luke look happy?

Later she would find it absurd that she first realized something was seriously wrong not by her own internal sense of well-being but by the horrified look on Luke’s face.

In the moment all she had time to do was take in him calling her name, seemingly in slow motion, and the floor rising to meet her. 

Then it was all dark. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooooooo...yeah.


	35. Vengeful spirits and petty classmates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s been less than 24 hours since I last posted a chapter so everyone who yelled at me about cliffhangers...I love you lol. But also have faith in me. You might get three chapters a day or you might get a couple of days in between updates but I think my track record is pretty good. We’ve topped 80,000 words in almost exactly a month. 
> 
> I mean...WHAT? 🙃
> 
> Things are bad for our heroes that is definitely true. And yes, they’re still going to get worse. BUT I also think the next chapter will be the favorite of a lot of you. So hang in there! 
> 
> Ok, onward.

In spite of all of the problems clouding Luke’s mind in the lead up to their performance, he couldn’t deny how good it felt to be on stage with his best friends again. Every single time they played together an indescribable feeling washed over him. It wasn’t just that he loved music or that the audience was clearly in tune with what they were doing, it was something beyond that. It was a deep sense that he was exactly where he was meant to be doing exactly what he was meant to do with exactly the people he was meant to do it with. 

He had spent so long chasing this exact feeling before he died. He knew as soon as they stepped off the stage everything facing them would still be there but when Julie was smiling at him as they sang together it was hard not to enjoy the moment.

They eased into the last chorus, the audience eating out of their hands, and Luke glanced over to share in the last moments of the song with Julie. He expected her to be smiling back at him but instead her eyes were sliding past his face, unfocused and hazy. 

Luke frowned as the last notes of the song rang out, his focus still firmly on Julie. She turned to face him as applause began and he fixed her with a questioning look. He got an answer but it wasn’t one he wanted.

Her eyes rolled back in her head and her body wavered for a moment in place before collapsing to the stage.

“Julie!” He shouted, registering Reggie and Alex echoing him somewhere in the background. 

There were gasps and shouts from the crowd too but he barely heard them. He swung his guitar behind him and sprinted to Julie’s side, Reggie arriving there at the same time. He reached for her instantly only to have Reggie’s hand shoot out to stop him. 

“We’re supposed to be holograms,” He hissed, panic clear in his voice. 

“What do we do?” Alex had arrived by this point.

“Forget our cover we have to help her!” Luke said, his voice shaking. His declaration earned him determined nods from both of his friends. 

Luke reached out for Julie again only to have the entire gym thrown into darkness. Confused voices rose from the crowd but Luke didn’t pay them any attention. Instead he slotted one arm behind Julie’s neck and one under her knees and scooped her up, cradling her against his chest. Luckily it seemed that his guitar had decided to poof out leaving his body unrestricted as he hurried backstage with the all too light girl in his arms.

He didn’t really have a destination in mind so it was a relief when he heard Flynn’s voice hissing to him almost immediately. 

“Over here!” 

Luke followed the sound of her voice to a pair of folding chairs off to one side. He lowered Julie gently into one, propping her up even as he felt her beginning to stir. 

“I’ve got to turn the lights back on, is she ok?” Flynn’s voice sounded every bit as panicked as he felt. 

Luckily it seemed that since they were the last act to perform no one else was backstage but Luke knew Flynn was right, that wouldn’t last long. 

“I’m ok,” Julie’s voice was strained but she was awake and sitting up on her own, one hand coming up to clutch at her head. 

Flynn must have flipped the switch because suddenly the lights came back on. 

“She’s got to go to a hospital,” Reggie said from somewhere behind him.

“No!” Julie insisted, sitting up straighter despite the still dazed look on her face. “They won’t be able to help me, we know what this is.”

“Julie…” Alex seemed about to protest. 

Julie glanced up at the other two boys before focusing her attention on Luke who was still crouched before her, absolute terror written on his face he was sure. 

“Luke, please. We have to find Willie. I don’t want...I’m scared to go to the hospital. My mom...just, let me go home and you can go find Willie, ok?”

Luke grabbed for her hand with one of his, a lump in his throat as he listened to her plea. 

“Ok. Ok, Julie, ok.” 

His other hand came up to trace gently along her face, the cold and clammy skin he found there sending a new shock of worry through him. 

She took a deep breath and seemed to calm slightly at his answer and his touch, though the way her body sagged in the chair still made it clear just how serious her condition was at this point. 

He didn’t have time to comment further before Mrs. Harrison rushed around the corner and to Julie’s side. 

“Julie? Are you alright? What happened?”

“I’m fine,” Julie clearly forced herself to sit up straighter as her teacher examined her with concern. “I just tripped.”

Mrs. Harrison gave her a skeptical look. 

“You tripped?” She asked with doubt in her voice.

“Yeah, it’s kind of embarrassing,” Julie insisted. “I tripped over my own feet and fell. It looked worse than it was I’m sure.”

“And the lights?” Her teacher questioned further. 

“That was me,” Flynn was back and jumping into the conversation in an effort to take some of the heat off of her friend. “I saw that she fell and I just wanted to help her get off the stage without being mortified for life. Sorry.”

Mrs. Harrison looked back and forth between the two girls for a moment before finally shaking her head. 

“Well, you had better come along dear and show everyone that you’re alright. If you’re sure you are ok…”

Julie nodded firmly.

“Well, then voting will begin in a moment. Come on.”

Luke reluctantly dropped his hands and stepped back. 

The teacher wrapped her arm around Julie who did her best to follow Mrs. Harrison back on to the stage without dragging her feet. 

“Ok, thank you for your patience everyone. As you can see, Julie here is just fine. What a dramatic end to our first annual battle of the bands!” 

The crowd seemed stunned into confused silence for a moment but eventually broke out into hesitant applause. 

“Now go find a seat dear.” 

Flynn hurried forward to link her arm with Julie’s and Luke was incredibly grateful as she led her friend off of the stage and into some waiting seats in the audience.

“The judges will have a quick consultation and then we will announce the winners.”

Luke turned to Reggie and Alex, his face deadly serious. 

“This ends  _ now _ ,” He told them, receiving nothing but equally serious nods in response. 

“I’ll go look for Willie again,” Alex said, poofing out instantly, clearly a ghost on a mission. 

“Reg, stay with Julie and Flynn,” Luke ordered, his voice hard. 

Reggie nodded.

“Where are you going?”

Luke gritted his teeth and practically spat out his answer.

“To have a chat with Nick.” 

He didn’t wait for an answer before poofing out into the gym. When they were performing he had seen Nick and the guys he had performed with sitting off to one side near the middle of the crowd so he had a vague idea where to look. 

Once he was in the gym he walked straight through any of the audience members in his path, ignoring the slightly strange, shivery feeling he got each time. It was lucky he supposed that today was one of his less solid days but he doubted he would have done anything differently if he had been less ghostly. If he needed to knock all these kids out of their seats and give them the scare of their lives to get to Nick faster he would do it. 

He reached what he thought was approximately the right spot and quickly scanned the faces of the teens around him. He spotted the two other guys fairly quickly. Unfortunately the seat where Nick had been sitting a few minutes ago was now decidedly empty. Luke spent another couple of minutes looking but finally had to come to the conclusion that Nick...or whoever looked like him...was long gone. He doubted that was a coincidence.

Letting out a shout of frustration that he knew would go unheard by almost everyone, he poofed back to the front of the gym where Reggie was pacing worriedly in front of a seated Julie and Flynn. Reggie shot Luke a hopeful look which Luke answered only with a short shake of his head. 

They didn’t have time for any further discussion because Mrs. Harrison was making her way back on to the stage.

“Thank you for your patience! We would like to have our top two bands come up to the stage. Dirty Candy and Julie and the Phantoms!” 

Carrie practically pranced past them and back up onto the stage as Julie heaved herself out of her chair slowly and walked up after her. Luke followed. He didn’t care if it blew their cover or if Julie hated him for it later. He was going to be there to catch her if she needed it.

“Now, I want to emphasize that this was a very close vote but we do have a winner. The band performing at tomorrow’s dance is...Julie and the Phantoms!”

The crowd roared in approval and Luke wanted so badly to be able to enjoy that moment with the girl beside him. He just couldn’t when he knew Julie was hanging on by a thread, a thread stretched increasingly tightly. He felt a rising sense of panic at the thought that so far he had proven to be entirely useless at protecting her.

He was startled from his thoughts of life or death problems by a much more human one. 

Carrie.

She was taking the loss with all of the grace one would expect. In fact she was currently practically wrestling the mic away from Mrs. Harrison. 

“Excuse me...I hate to be the one to point this out but they never should have been allowed to perform in the first place. Those boys in her band  _ don’t even go here _ .” 

“Well…” The teacher was pulling the mic back but her face did look concerned. “I’m sure no one meant to break any rules.”

“But don’t you think it’s important that school sponsored competitions be  _ fair _ ?” Carrie asked in a falsely sweet tone. “You wouldn’t want the school to have a reputation of favoritism.” 

Luke rolled his eyes.

Julie had told him enough stories for him to know that was a rich comment coming from Carrie. Apparently her dad had paid for new band uniforms and the next thing people knew Dirty Candy was performing at every spirit assembly.

“Just give me a moment.”

The teacher shot Julie an apologetic look and hurried off the stage where the other judges were already gathered, one of them clutching the original flyer advertising the competition. They talked in a clearly heated fashion for a moment, whispering and gesturing between themselves.

Finally Mrs. Harrison hung her head and trudged back up onto the stage. 

“I’m afraid Miss Wilson is correct. The competition was described as being open to groups of 3 or more students. I’m sure we can all congratulate Julie and her friends on a wonderful performance but Dirty Candy will be performing at the homecoming dance.”

There were mixed reactions to this announcement. There was clearly a portion of the audience who seemed upset by the decision but few seemed willing to openly object to Carrie’s victory. Flynn was of course the exception who was loudly booing from the front row. Well, Reggie was booing too but no one could hear him. 

Luke rested one hand gently on the small of Julie’s back, offering silent support both emotional and physical. 

“I’m sorry,” He whispered despite the fact that no one would have been able to hear him even if he shouted it. 

Julie shook her head subtly, her shoulders slumping though it was impossible to tell if that was from Carrie stealing their victory or residual illness. Probably both.

“Can we just get out of here?”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

They made their way off of the stage and back to Flynn and Reggie. Flynn instantly wrapped her arm around Julie’s shoulders, probably for similar reasons to Luke’s own instincts to hover around the girl at the moment. They didn’t know if the next attack would come from a vengeful spirit or a petty classmate but they were prepared to stand between Julie and either scenario. 

And that was a good thing because the latter showed up right on cue.

“No hard feelings, right, Julie?” Carrie asked in a falsely sympathetic tone as her entire gaggle of friends halted next to them. 

Julie didn’t seem to have it in her to answer and Luke was just considering the merits of knocking them over like glittery, multi-colored dominos when Flynn spoke up. 

“Congratulations on the win you had to get by a technicality,” She gushed. “Too bad everyone heard them say you lost.” 

Carrie was practically shooting daggers out of her eyes after that. 

“At least I didn’t face plant in front of the whole school,” She shifted her attention back to Julie. “So glad you weren’t seriously hurt. I don’t think I could ever show my face again. But then again maybe you did it for attention. That seems to be your thing lately.”

They stomped away which was probably for the best as Flynn looked to be seconds away from launching herself at them. Luke couldn’t blame her. If he didn’t have bigger problems on his mind he would be tempted to join her. Not that he would hit a girl, but he wasn’t above a little ghostly mischief in the name of revenge. 

His attention was firmly on Julie though, who was sagging against Flynn. 

“Let’s get you home,” He offered softly, tugging gently on her hand until she leaned away from Flynn and against him. 

He knew she should be worried someone would spot her leaning on thin air but he just didn’t care. In that moment he just wanted her close.

“Flynn, Carlos is here somewhere. Can you make sure he gets home ok? Just in case...just in case.”

Flynn nodded and squeezed Julie’s hand before disappearing into the crowd.

“I’ll go with her,” Reggie announced before turning to follow. 

They all knew what Julie wasn’t saying. Someone wasn’t just messing with her to scare her. Someone was quite possibly trying to  _ kill _ her. Worrying they might target her brother to get to them wasn’t a concern any of them could completely rule out. 

They made their way out of the gym and then the school with Luke making sure to keep a point of contact with Julie at all times.

He would get her home. He would make sure she was safe. And then he would figure out a way to put an end to all of this once and for all.

And he wouldn’t want to be anyone who tried to stand in his way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Luke has no more patience for anyone after his girl.


	36. Feels like I’ve opened my eyes again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Readers, friends...witnesses to how I am actually the biggest sap beating even Luke lol...I made myself so emotional with this one. 
> 
> You may have noticed from the chapter title that we have finally made it to the reason for this story’s title. Listening to this song is what inspired me to start this story in the first place and here we are 85,000 words later and me feeling really lucky to be sharing this experience with all of you. You guys have responded so amazingly to this story and have been so kind to me. I appreciate it more than you know.
> 
> The song in this chapter IS NOT by me. It’s “Better Place” by Rachel Platten. Please go listen to it and imagine Julie singing it and try not to get emotional. I dare you lol!
> 
> Enjoy. 💜

By the time they made it back to her house Julie felt ever so slightly more like herself again. She definitely still felt awful, tired wasn’t even the right word for it. She felt...empty. Like something she couldn’t quite put a label on was missing. But she felt less panicked. 

She knew the situation was still dire. She didn’t understand exactly what was happening to her but she was smart enough to come to the conclusion that whatever clock was marking her problems was running out. So it was possible that the way a rush of relief passed through her as she and Luke approached her house was a little naive. 

She suddenly felt very much 15 in a way she hadn’t even just a few days before and that was a bit of a helpless feeling. 

But it also wasn’t all bad. She felt a bit like a little girl, a kid that nothing bad could happen to as long as she was in her home with people who loved her. 

Luke’s hand was still pressed firmly against her back as he guided her the last few steps towards their destination. 

She was pretty sure he fell into that category. 

Denying that or wasting time worrying about what it meant felt kind of pointless when literally everything else was up in the air. She was beginning to think that Flynn was right, as she was about most things. There was no such thing as a perfect moment or a sure thing. There was no guarantee you would have more chances when bad hotdogs or cancer or evil ghosts bent on revenge were out there. 

She was ready. 

Luke was guiding her towards her front door when she stopped short.

He turned quickly to give her a questioning look, probably worried that her hesitation meant another episode was coming on. 

Julie turned to face him and offered up a smile that was weak but genuine. 

“Let’s stop in the studio first.”

Luke’s face immediately scrunched in confusion and he opened his mouth to protest. He didn’t get a chance though as Julie was already raising one hand to rest over his heart. Or she supposed where his heart should have been. She still wasn’t clear on how ghost anatomy actually worked.

Her gentle touch clearly took him by surprise but he still reached one of his hands up to cover hers right away, like it was an instinct more than a choice. 

“Jules…” He started, a soft smile inching on to his face despite his obvious misgivings. 

She knew he probably didn’t actually _want_ to be smiling right now but she would take it. She had missed that smile lately. 

“I promise I’m not going to do anything crazy. I can rest in there too. Just trust me, please?”

Luke sighed and shook his head but he did pull their linked hands down from his chest to his side, giving hers a squeeze. Julie decided that was as close to agreement as she was going to get and led the way towards the garage. 

Once they made it inside Julie sat down on the piano bench and Luke slid in beside her, making sure that she could lean on him if she needed to. 

“I’m going to text Flynn and make sure she and Reggie found Carlos,” She said, pulling out her phone and shooting off a quick message. “Is Alex looking for Willie?”

Luke’s face grew serious again as he nodded.

“Yeah. I should be helping him. As soon as Reggie gets here…”

“Hey.”

Julie cut off his anxious rambling with a gentle hand on his chin, turning his head to face hers more fully.

“Alex will find him. And if he doesn’t find him tonight you can help. Tomorrow.”

Luke was already shaking his head before she had even finished speaking. He was so stubborn. 

“We don’t have time to wait for tomorrow, Julie. Whatever is happening to you is getting worse, a lot worse.”

Julie nodded. He didn’t need to tell her that. She could _feel_ it. But if anyone was going to be able to find Willie it was Alex. Not to mention she just felt like they needed to stick together as much as possible. It wasn’t something she could give a logical explanation for but she somehow just knew nothing good would come from them splitting up even if it was in theory to find a solution. 

“I know that. And tomorrow we can make a plan but for right now...I don’t want to be alone.”

Luke scooted a fraction closer even though their sides were already pressed up against each other.

“Jules, I would never leave you alone when someone’s after you. Reggie…”

“I love Reggie.” Julie cut him off yet again, her voice tired but strong. “And I trust him with my life but right now...you’re the one I want, Luke.”

That stopped any protest he was about to make in its tracks. His eyes widened and Julie cringed slightly internally. This wasn’t going exactly how she had intended it to.

“I just meant...you’re the one I want with me. Tonight. Yeah. Not that I don’t...yeah.”

That got her another small smile from the boy next to her. She was mortified but she would still take a victory where she could get it.

“Ok. Ok, I’ll stay tonight. But if Alex doesn’t find him by tomorrow I have to go help him look. I have to.” 

Julie nodded. She wouldn’t argue with that. 

Before either of them could say anything more the garage doors swung open and Flynn, Reggie and Carlos appeared in the doorway. 

Julie felt a rush of relief at the sight of her brother’s seemingly healthy appearance but it was short lived. 

Carlos’ face was red and blotchy. It looked like he had been _crying_.

“What happened?” Julie moved to stand quickly but sat down almost immediately as her body protested the quick movement. “Carlos are you ok?”

“He’s fine,” Flynn assured her, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “But he’s a little upset. Maybe this would be a good time for a sibling heart to heart?”

Julie turned to Luke.

“Wait outside?”

He seemed reluctant but also like he understood it wasn’t his place to deny that particular request. 

“I’ll be right outside.” He told her, standing up carefully so she didn’t lose her balance. 

Flynn spoke up too.

“Jules, I’m going home to grab some stuff then I’m coming back. I was supposed to spend tomorrow night here anyway...homecoming and all. Anyway, let’s make a weekend of it. It will be fun.”

“Thanks, Flynn.” 

She appreciated her friend’s efforts to make it sound like a slumber party and not some kind of “protect Julie from undead assassins” party. The second one was probably more accurate but still. 

“I’ll wait outside too.” Reggie shot her a supportive look before all three of them walked out leaving Julie and Carlos alone. Flynn closed the doors behind her to give them at least the illusion of privacy. 

“Carlos?” She patted the bench next to her but he chose to stay standing.

That’s when she noticed that he didn’t just look like he had been crying. He looked _mad_. 

“What’s wrong?” She asked him, genuinely confused by his current emotional state.

“What’s wrong?” He repeated disbelievingly. “You just passed out on stage. You’ve been so tired lately, I’ve noticed. Then you were up there and you just fell over.”

Julie wasn’t expecting his outburst though maybe she should have been. Carlos was more observant than she and her dad sometimes gave him credit for. He had been right on the money with his ghost deceleration after all. She probably shouldn’t have been so confident that he would be as oblivious to her deteriorating condition as her dad had been. 

“I’m sorry if I scared you,” She told him carefully. “But I’m ok now.” 

Carlos took a deep gulping breath as though he was trying not to cry again. 

“Are you? Because you look _sick_. You look like Mom looked.”

That hit Julie like a slap to the face.

“Carlos, I’m not sick like that. I promise.”

“But how do you _know_?” He insisted. 

Julie took a chance and held out her arms towards her little brother inviting him into a hug she needed as much as he appeared to.

He hesitated for a moment, clearly still angry, but eventually decided to cross the distance between them and fall into his sister’s arms. 

She heard the tell tale snuffling that meant he was crying a little again.

“I’m sorry,” She murmured as she rocked him gently. “You’re right. I think we know what this is. But if we can’t...if I don’t feel better after tomorrow I’ll ask dad to take me to the doctor, ok? I promise.”

She felt Carlos nod and he squeezed her tighter before stepping back and swiping at his eyes.

“Don’t tell the guys I cried, ok?”

Julie smiled in what she hoped was a comforting manner.

“Want to know a secret? They cry all the time.”

Carlos seemed to perk up a little at that. 

“Really?”

“Yep. They’re very in touch with their feelings. Don’t let anyone tell you boys don’t cry. Even rockstars do.” 

“If you say so.” 

Carlos gave her one last, slightly watery smile and opened the door revealing Luke and Reggie who were trying very hard to look like they hadn’t been listening in. Obviously they had, their slightly watery eyes confirmation enough even if their guilty expressions hadn’t been. 

“I’m going to keep little dude company for a while,” Reggie announced, earning him a grateful smile from Julie. 

She passed the message on to Carlos who perked up a little immediately, chattering away about ghost abilities as the two made their way up to the house. 

Then it was just her and Luke again. 

“You ok? That sounded a little rough,” He said softly, lingering in the doorway. 

She patted the bench next to her and waited until he slid back into his previous position pressed against her side before answering.

“It was but I needed to hear it. Carlos is right. I’ve been putting off facing what’s going on with me for too long. I can’t put myself last and think that won’t ever catch up to me.”

Luke’s expression was guilty.

“Julie, if we’ve been asking for too much or stressing you out...I’m sorry. We never wanted that.” 

She shook her head firmly.

“I know. And I appreciate that. But that’s exactly what I’m saying. This isn’t about you guys, or Flynn, or my family or even Nick...not really. I have to let myself do things for me and have that be enough.” 

Luke didn’t seem to fully understand what she was saying if the confused look on his face was any indication, but he nodded anyway. She loved him for that. 

Which brought her back to the reason she had wanted them to come into the studio in the first place.

“Speaking of doing things just because I want to and not focusing on what could go wrong...I want to play you a song.”

Luke’s eyebrows shot to the top of his forehead at her rambling deceleration.

“You wrote a song I haven’t heard yet?”

Julie let out a small giggle at his question, the feeling of genuine amusement breaking through her current physical situation. 

“ _That’s_ your question after what I just said?”

He ducked his head in embarrassment and Julie’s heart swelled with affection. 

“I was just surprised is all.” 

“I’ve been working on it for awhile. It’s the one I wasn’t ready to show you before but...I want you to hear it now.”

Luke nodded and scooted slightly away to give Julie room to play. He didn’t go far though which was both reassuring and terrifying given what Julie was about to do. 

She could tell herself she was doing this because of the deal she made with Flynn, that technically they had won the competition and so she was obligated to follow through. 

But the truth was she was ready. For better or worse. She could worry about the future all she wanted but at the end of the day all she really had was now. And she deserved to take a chance on her own happiness. She knew her mom would want that for her.

She rested her fingers above the keys and took a deep breath. She began to play and let the words flow out trusting that she had done the best she could to express how she truly felt. 

_I'll tell the world, I'll sing a song_

_It's a better place since you came along_

_Since you came along_

_Your touch is sunlight through the trees_

_Your hugs are the ocean breeze_

_Everything's alright when you're with me_

Julie felt Luke stiffen next to her but she didn’t let herself get distracted trying to read into what that meant. She felt more sure of herself, more sure of her decision, more _alive_ than she had in a long time. Who would have thought that sitting next to a ghost while possibly being drained of her own life force would lead to _that_?

_And ah, ah, ah, ah, ah you’re my favorite thing_

_Ah, ah, ah, ah all the love that you bring_

_But it feels like I've opened my eyes again_

_And the colors are golden and bright again_

_There's a song in my heart, I feel like I belong_

_It's a better place since you came along_

_It's a better place since you came along_

She had tried so hard when writing this song to express the way all of her boys, but especially Luke had swept into her life and changed it for the better. More than that they had _started_ her life again after the year she spent drifting without music, without belief in herself, or magic or love. 

_Now I'm alright_

_Now I'm alright_

_Everything's alright_

_'Cause it feels like I've opened my eyes again_

_And the colors are golden and bright again_

_There's a song in my heart, I feel like I belong_

_It's a better place since you came along_

_It's a better place since you came along_

Her voice faded out along with the sound of the piano. She allowed herself one long moment to stare only at her fingers still poised over the keys before she took a deep breath and turned to face him. 

His face was open in a way she had never seen it before, like she had smashed right through any shell he still had left. She remembered him encouraging her to swing her wrecking ball of a voice at her teacher and enjoyed the thought that she had just swung it at him instead.

“Did you like it?” She asked.

“Julie...it’s amazing.” 

His voice sounded a little funny, like he had tried to speak too quickly and hadn’t actually taken in enough air to do so.

She was grateful he could make her smile, even unintentionally, when she needed it most. He was talented, and kind and charismatic...but he was also a goofy 17 year old kid. 

“I know there’s so much happening right now but that just makes it feel even more important to just say this to you. Not because I know things are going to be ok or because I’m sure it’s the right thing...just because it’s true and I want to say it. For me.”

“Julie…” 

His eyes were darting all over her face as though he couldn’t believe she was really in front of him making the speech she was making. He looked nervous and hopeful and scared all at the same time.

Good to know all of those feelings were mutual. 

She had time for one more deep breath and then there was no more hesitating. Now or never for real this time.

“I love you, Luke.” 

There was a brief pause during which she had just enough time to lock eyes with the boy next to her before his dropped to her lips. Then his head was dipping towards her and they were _kissing_.

Julie had been kissed a couple of times before, half-experimental attempts with boys she felt nothing but vague curiosity towards. She had been underwhelmed by those experiences to say the least. 

None of them could be compared to what she was feeling now.

Luke’s lips moved insistently yet incredibly gently against her own, catching against hers then drawing back just enough that she could feel his breath tickling her before diving back in. One of his hands had come up to press impossibly softly against the skin of her cheek. 

It was an innocent kiss but the emotions behind it were so intense she felt a little lightheaded, a feeling she knew could not just be attributed to her current weakened state. 

He brushed his lips against hers once more before pulling back, a shuddering breath escaping from him as he did so. 

“I love you too.”

She could have felt scared in that moment. Scared that this was too big, that she was too young, that he was too _dead_ , that she was still in danger and he would tear himself apart if something happened to her. 

But she didn’t. 

All she felt in that moment was joy.

She loved him. He loved her. 

That was enough, just for this moment.

She felt an embarrassingly large grin spread across her face.

“You love me huh?”

His face broke out in a grin to match hers.

“You knew that.”

She shrugged playfully.

“Yeah, I knew.”

Then she was reaching for him and he was coming willingly and their lips were meeting again. 

She had spent so long turning away from a world that didn’t have her mom in it. Closing her eyes.

They were finally all the way open again...even as they slid closed and she lost herself in the boy she loved. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed one word in the lyrics to reflect the fact that they hadn’t kissed YET when she wrote it. 
> 
> I hope this healed your heart a little from the rest of the plot, both the Juke loveliness and Julie finally letting herself put herself first.
> 
> Seriously go listen to “Better Place” by Rachel Platten.


	37. You guys are the good news

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I’m just going to go ahead and say everyone who hates cliffhangers might want to go away for a week and come back to read the rest of this fic in one sitting lol. Cause I could end the rest of these chapters pretty much anywhere and they would be cliffhangers! 
> 
> This one...just remember how I gave you Juke love confessions and kisses yesterday, ok? Thanks. 😂
> 
> Willie’s here! Does that help at all? 
> 
> Ok, enjoy! 💜

Luke did not spend that night trying to sleep. He didn’t even spend it trying to find some peace in the meditation corner. He spent it sitting up next to Julie while she slept, alternating between watching her sleep and glancing around the room looking for any tiny sign that something was wrong. 

He still thought there was a decent chance it was a little creepy to watch her sleep, but he also thought that if she was going to go around singing him love songs, declaring her love for him and kissing him like there was no tomorrow he couldn’t be expected to do anything else.

He hadn’t planned on kissing her. He definitely hadn’t planned on them exchanging I love you’s. He was pretty sure there had been a lot of pretty good reasons why they weren’t doing those things. Not that he could remember any of them now. 

They had spent just a little too long wrapped up in each other in the studio and by the time they had made it back into the house Flynn was already back and sitting on the couch next to Carlos and Reggie. All three of them had given the couple knowing looks, which probably should have embarrassed him but Luke couldn’t bring himself to care. 

Julie was having a hard time keeping the smile off of her face even as she trudged tiredly over to sit down and Luke had no doubt he looked every bit as obnoxiously happy.

So here he was, the morning after everything changed and yet somehow stayed the same, alternating between feeling completely at peace and totally panicked. Making time in between watching the girl next to him sleep and keeping watch to stare at the zipped up bag hanging on the door of her closet. He knew it held the dress she and Flynn had picked out for her to wear to homecoming. 

They had so many bigger things to worry about but after last night...he couldn’t help but let himself get lost in thoughts of what it would be like if things were different. If he could just take her to the dance like a normal guy who liked a normal girl. As normal as Julie could be when she was so amazing. 

And that’s how Alex found him when he poofed in. 

Luke wasn’t used to being the one taken off guard by ghostly appearances but he could admit he jumped when his friend appeared right next to Julie’s bed. He recovered quickly though. 

“Did you find him?” 

He felt slightly guilty that he didn’t bother to so much as greet his friend who had been out searching all night but he knew he understood.

“He left me a message,” Alex announced urgently. “He’s going to be waiting for us at this art museum we went to once.” 

Luke swung his legs off of the bed but hesitated before standing.

“How exactly did he leave you a message?” 

“I found this graffiti near where we met.” 

Luke stood and stepped closer to Alex so they could talk without waking Julie, not that she seemed to be stirring at all. 

“How exactly do you know this random graffiti is a message for you?”

Alex titled his head and cringed slightly.

“It was addressed to...Hotdog.”

Luke shook his head. 

“I’m sure there’s an adorable story there but you can tell me later. Let’s get Reggie on Julie watch and then get out of here.”

Alex nodded. 

They found Reggie sitting in the hall, halfway between Carlo’s room and the guest room where Flynn was sleeping. He was leaning against the wall, tapping his fingers against his knee but he immediately shot to his feet when he saw his friends coming. 

“Did you find Willie?” He asked hopefully.

“We think we know where he is,” Luke informed him hurriedly. “Can you keep an eye on everyone here while we’re gone?”

Reggie nodded instantly and Luke was filled with gratitude. 

He knew if their roles were reversed he would be frustrated to so often be left on babysitting duty while his friends took a more active role but Reggie wasn’t like that. He couldn’t see any job more important than being with the people he loved and making sure nothing bad happened to them. He didn’t have to feel like a hero. He just needed to feel like part of the family.

“Good luck,” Reggie said, looking between Alex and Luke seriously. 

“Thanks, man. You too,” Alex answered, patting Reggie’s shoulder before he and Luke both poofed out. 

They arrived outside of a modern art museum that seemed to be closed for some kind of remodeling. 

“Is this it?” Luke asked, turning his head in time to catch Alex gulping nervously.

“This is it.” Alex took a deep breath and led the way walking through the door. 

Luke hurried after looking around as soon as they were inside. It was a mostly empty space and he didn’t see any skateboarding ghosts. He was about to let out a noise of frustration when out of the corner of his eye he saw a blur launch itself at Alex. 

Alex let out a surprised gasp before they all seemed to register what was happening.

Willie was there, both of his arms wrapped around Alex’s neck and his head buried in his shoulder. Alex took another half second to register the situation before his arms came up to wrap tightly around the other boy in a fierce hug. 

They stayed locked in their embrace for a long moment and Luke did his best to be patient. He knew Alex needed this reunion and it was undeniable that he deserved it. But he also couldn’t forget the fact that Julie was in danger and counting on them to figure out a way to help her. 

He waited a few more seconds as the two boys before him held on to each other before clearing his throat awkwardly. He got no response. He did it again a little more forcefully.

That did the trick. 

Alex and Willie separated, though he noticed it wasn’t by much. Willie shot him an apologetic look. 

“Sorry.”

“I’m not,” Alex said, reaching out to squeeze Willie’s hand. 

“I am so sorry I’ve been avoiding you, Alex,” Willie said with emphasis on each word. “I never went back to the club after I helped you guys get the Orpheum gig. I just couldn’t.” 

“Caleb couldn’t have been too happy about that,” Luke observed.

“I figured he would tear me apart,” Willie agreed. “Only he didn’t. And then I heard you guys didn’t cross over and he hadn’t jolted you out of existence either. So I knew he had to have some reason for letting me go and it probably involved getting to you. I couldn’t let that happen again.” 

He turned back to Alex.

“I’m sorry if I made you think I didn’t want to see you. I wanted to. I really wanted to.”

Alex smiled bashfully. 

“I didn’t think that. Not for long anyway.”

Willie returned his smile and reached up to give Alex a gentle shove to the shoulder. 

“Good for you, Hotdog.”

Luke took the opportunity to break in. 

“Look, this is very sweet...no seriously, under any other circumstances I would be melting in a corner somewhere. But Julie’s in trouble so...please tell me the reason you changed your mind is because you found out something that can take Caleb down.” 

Willie sighed and looked between his two fellow ghosts.

“Not exactly. But I did overhear some of the ghosts from the club talking yesterday. They said he wants Julie for his band.”

“This guy really just can’t hold auditions like everyone else?” Alex remarked sarcastically.

“It’s to get back at us,” Luke pointed out uselessly, obviously they all knew that. “But she can’t be in his band, she's not a ghost.”

There was a moment of silence while the answer to that unspoken question sunk in. 

“He’s really trying to kill her?” Alex finally voiced. “That’s his plan?”

“I’m pretty sure he wants to kill her and then destroy your souls, but yeah. Pretty much.” 

Willie’s words weren’t exactly comforting. Luke couldn’t let himself get distracted by the doom and gloom though. They had already more or less figured this much out. What they needed was to understand how exactly Caleb was doing it and how they could stop him. 

“Did they say what exactly he’s doing to her? Cause we’re pretty sure her friend Nick is an energy vampire or something now and she’s totally running on empty.”

Willie gave Luke a confused look. 

“Energy vampire?”

Alex held up his hands and raised his shoulders in what was probably meant to be a vampire impression. Luke shook his head and Alex immediately dropped his arms before speaking. 

“Uh...yeah. Like every time they’re together she gets really tired. It’s gotten a lot worse lately. We think he can see us too.”

Willie’s brow furrowed with worry. 

“I don’t think that’s any friend of Julie’s. I think that’s Caleb. He’s draining her.”

“Draining her of what?” Luke demanded.

“Soul energy,” Willie answered. “Some of the ghosts at the club call it soul juice.”

Alex wrinkled his nose.

“Ew.”

Luke shook his head and turned his focus back to Willie. 

“But what is that? And how can he take it?”

His voice was clearly impatient and Willie held up a hand to slow him down.

“Ok, ok. So it’s like this. Soul energy is what keeps us all going, lifers and ghosts. Lifers need it to...well, live. And ghosts need it to be able to do lots of stuff. All the way from touching things up to what Caleb does, being visible to lifers and even crazier stuff.”

“I don’t get it,” Alex said. “So he just goes around sucking it out of people? How do the rest of the ghosts get it?”

“You have to understand none of us totally know this works except for Caleb. He keeps it that way cause it gives him all the power. Half of what we do know could be made up, who knows. But as far as I know it’s like this. Lifers have their own soul energy. But ghosts are losing it all the time. It’s almost like a built in time limit to make you figure out your unfinished business and cross over. The longer you’re here the more you fade away. You go from being able to interact with things to being air basically. Not even visible to other ghosts.”

“That’s harsh,” Luke practically whispered, imagining drifting through the world that way. 

“Right, except Caleb figured out a way around it somehow. He takes soul energy from lifers and gives it to ghosts instead. Depending on how much you have you can do almost anything. Mess with electricity, let lifers see you, control people’s dreams.”

Luke and Alex exchanged a serious look while Willie continued.

“It’s how he recruits ghosts in the first place. Signing your soul away doesn’t sound so bad when you know without him eventually your existence is going to be right up there with a gust of wind.” 

“And he gets the energy from the lifers at his club?” Luke asked.

Willie nodded.

“Used to be they had to agree. Lifers and ghosts. He got them to make a deal to see a glimpse of the afterlife in exchange for a little of their soul energy. He didn’t take much at first, they hardly noticed. But then he started getting greedy. Taking  _ years  _ off of people’s lives and it still wasn’t enough.”

“That’s not good,” Alex observed anxiously. 

“That’s not even the worst part,” Willie said.

Luke grimaced. 

“It gets worse?”

Willie nodded.

“Somehow he’s figured out how to do it without asking. I mean did he ask your permission before he stamped you guys?”

Alex and Luke both shook their heads.

“It’s the same with lifers. They don’t even need to agree anymore. Any of them he brings in or just wanders off the street...he can take as much as he wants. And he has been. He’s been using it to give his inner circle more and more crazy powers.”

“Please tell me there’s some good news,” Alex begged.

Willie waved his hand between the two boys in front of him. 

“You guys  _ are  _ the good news. You can perform in front of lifers without Caleb’s help. You broke his stamp somehow.”

“We can touch people sometimes now,” Alex glanced at Luke with dawning realization. 

“Exactly. I can’t explain it but if anyone can stop him it’s you.” Willie said. 

“Wait...you’re saying all of those things we can do are because of soul energy? You’re saying we can drain lifers like Caleb can?”

Willie fixed them with a serious look.

“I’m saying with the things you can do? You already have been.” 

Luke didn’t have time to let the true horror of that statement sink in because in that instant a familiar feeling washed over him. 

Like cold water being poured over him. Like standing too close to a ringing bell. 

Like his name being called without any words.

He hesitated only long enough to share a panicked look with Alex before he uttered one word and poofed out.

“Julie.” 

He didn’t stop to make sure that the other two ghosts were following him but they must have because when he poofed into Julie’s room they were there too. 

So were a terrified looking Flynn and a panicked looking Reggie. 

And in the bed was Julie exactly where he had left her, seemingly sleeping peacefully. Except her face was a little too pale, and her body was a little too still, and something just wasn’t  _ right _ .

He was at her side before anyone had a chance to say anything.

“Reggie?” He asked, his voice sounding foreign to his own ears, pinched and scared. 

“She won’t wake up,” Reggie said as Luke knelt next to her. “We were up here and everything was fine! Flynn was down in the kitchen and she screamed. Julie told me to go, she said she would be right behind me!”

Luke ran a hand down the side of Julie’s face and cupped her cheek drawing no reaction from her.

“There was a ghost down there, one of those guys from the club. He was throwing things at Flynn but he poofed out as soon as I showed up. I was only down there for a minute tops, I swear. Why won’t she wake up?” 

Reggie was spinning in nervous half-circles between Julie’s form on the bed and his friends as he spoke, his eyes wild with fear. 

Flynn for her part looked just as scared and even more confused. 

“Reggie what’s going on? Where’s Jules?”

The room fell into a moment of horrified silence at the girl’s question.

“She can’t see her,” Alex stated what everyone was thinking. “Why can’t she see her?”

“Caleb took too much this time,” Willie said, filling Luke with a sense of dread so deep it was overwhelming. “She’s between the lifer and the ghost world now.”

“Well, how do we make her full lifer again?” Luke demanded, spinning to face Willie from his crouched position. 

“Luke…” Reggie’s fearful voice drew his attention back to Julie. 

What he saw was enough to shake him to the core.

Julie was flickering in and out like one of Luke’s nightmares come to life. 

“Julie!” He cried, leaping forward to try to keep her with him through sheer force of will. 

His hands wrapped around only air as she flickered out of the room and didn’t return. 

The weight of his upper body landed on the bed and he heard gasps from everyone in the room except for Flynn who was still asking Reggie to tell her what was going on. 

“No!” He yelled, pounding his fist on the bed. “No! No! No!” 

“Luke…” Alex’s shaky voice reminded him he wasn’t alone. 

He leapt to his feet and rounded on the only one in the room who seemed to understand what had just happened. 

He crossed the distance between him and Willie in two steps, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and backing him up until he had him pressed forcefully against the wall.

“Luke!” Alex was protesting from right next to him but Luke couldn’t see his friend through the haze of angry tears clouding his vision. 

“Where is she?” He demanded, pushing Willie back with a thump for good measure. 

“He called her to his club the same way he did with you,” Willie said calmly. He wasn’t without emotion but his lack of panic was only making Luke more angry. 

Didn’t he understand Luke’s whole world had just flickered out of existence right in front of him? How dare anyone  _ not  _ be feeling what he was feeling right now. 

“Caleb has her?” Reggie asked fearfully.

Willie nodded. 

“Dude, it’s not him you’re mad at. Let him go,” Alex instructed tersely.

Luke felt the fight drain out of him all at once. He sagged despairingly and let his hands drop from their place holding Willie against the wall. 

“What am I supposed to do now?” He asked softly, his voice choked with unshed tears. 

Willie placed a hand on each of Luke’s shoulders and squeezed them comfortingly. 

Luke sucked in a shaky breath before looking up at the ghost in front of him. 

Willie made eye contact and spoke firmly. 

“Now we go get her back.” 

Luke straightened up and swallowed down the tears still threatening to escape. He didn’t have time for them. 

He nodded determinedly before echoing Willie’s words.

“Now we go get her back.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If it helps I am so ridiculously excited about the next chapter. It’s from the perspective of a character whose point of view we haven’t heard yet. Any guesses who it is? 
> 
> As anxiety inducing as the plot is there is some fun stuff in the next chapter believe it or not!


	38. Life after death crisis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I did warn you guys lol. And I want to say that warning still stands! Pretty much nothing but cliffhangers until the end so just be aware. 
> 
> This chapter is definitely different and I hope you guys enjoy it. I’m a little disappointed even though I do like how it came out. I can just picture how it would be in the show so well and want to watch it not read my attempt at it lol.
> 
> The first part is from Flynn’s point of view and the second part...just read it. I don’t want to ruin the surprise. 
> 
> Please let me know what you think! 💜

Flynn was having a rough day. 

Actually she was having a bit of a rough few months. She was more than willing to support Julie through anything, including but not limited to discovering the existence of ghosts, starting a music career with said ghosts, and preparing to help those same ghosts cross over into the great beyond. 

She really was.

That didn’t mean it wasn’t a lot. 

And all of that had been before she formed personal relationships with those ghosts (some more than others), learned that yet another ghost was possibly trying to kill her best friend for revenge, was attacked by a ghost herself, and then made it back upstairs only to realize Julie had disappeared in the five minutes she was gone. 

So. Yeah. Rough day. 

It had started out ok. Reggie had told Julie Luke and Alex were out talking to Willie and Julie had passed the information on to Flynn. They had spent the morning hanging out and despite Julie’s obvious exhaustion it had all felt deceptively normal. Then she had gone downstairs to find some food for them and suddenly everything not nailed down was flying at her head. She had screamed and she could only assume Reggie poofed in and scared her attacker away because the attack stopped. She sprinted back upstairs to check on Julie only to find...nothing. 

At first she had just stared at the empty room where Julie should have been and asked Reggie repeatedly with increasing panic to explain where her best friend was. She wasn’t sure how she expected him to answer her in that moment. Find their notebook. Scrawl it on the walls in blood poltergeist style. She didn’t really care. She just needed answers. By the time she finally got them the amount she had apparently missed was truly staggering.

Her first clue that she really wasn’t just shouting at thin air was when Julie’s laptop floated over to her bed and opened. A word document opened and words started appearing at a thankfully quick rate. Reggie was shockingly good at typing for a guy who died in 1995 but she wasn’t complaining. Apparently the other two were back and had brought Willie with them. They were having a strategy session to mount a rescue mission to get Julie back from Caleb’s club. 

The more Flynn read the more overwhelmed she got.

Julie was somehow trapped between the worlds of ghosts and the living. And no one seemed to know exactly what to do to get her back. What if they couldn’t? 

She didn’t let herself linger in that thought for long. She couldn’t let the fear swallow her up. She had to be strong for Julie. And she would be. 

She forced her eyes back to the laptop screen. 

Apparently Willie was telling them that the ghost boys weren’t invited so they wouldn’t even be able to get into the club. But there was a loophole. Because Caleb had been desperate for more and more soul energy lately he had made it easy for one particular group of people to get in and the ghosts could get in with them if they timed it right. 

And who was it that Willie said could get in?

Lifers.

Which apparently meant...her. 

Only not just her. Because Willie’s best bet at a plan was that the boys fight Caleb on his terf at his game. Which meant draining energy to use (which they didn’t know how to do) from lifers (who would be in danger). 

It wasn’t much of a plan. It might very well end up with her dead.

Flynn closed her eyes and took a long pause.

She felt a nudge at her arm eventually and opened her eyes again to check the screen. 

This time it simply said:

ARE YOU OK?

Flynn nodded at the seemingly empty air next to her. 

“I’m good.”

She took another deep breath and felt her expression solidify into one of fierce determination.

“I need to make a few calls.” 

45 minutes later an uneasy looking Trevor Wilson was standing in Julie’s living room facing Flynn and what she could imagine were four less than thrilled ghosts. 

She knew from Reggie’s frantic typing that Luke in particular hadn’t exactly been excited by her decision to call Carrie’s dad. She had pointed out rather snappily that if he had a better idea for a living person who cared about Julie, could take the existence of ghosts in stride and could see and hear them he was welcome to speak up now. 

If he had an answer to that Reggie hadn’t passed it on so she counted that as a victory. She didn’t have patience for ghost boy attitude when she needed to put together a team and go get her girl back from that floating psychopath. 

She had explained as quickly as possible what was going on to Trevor who had adjusted to the news of Caleb and his evil plans remarkably quickly. She didn’t bother to question that. Again, she was on a mission. 

So now here he was. Thank God Ray and Carlos were at one of the kid’s baseball games. She didn’t particularly have it in her to explain all of this to someone else.

Because she had already explained it to one further person. 

There was a knock at the door.

“That must be our ride,” Flynn announced, hurrying to open the door. 

It was very much not who she expected it to be though. It was someone Flynn had only seen through pictures but even if she hadn’t seen them she would have known who it was. The family resemblance was clear.

This was Reggie’s sister. 

“Uhhhh...Sammi, hi,” She sputtered. “Julie’s not home. What brings you here?”

Reggie’s sister for her part looked like she had been anxious before the door had even opened and Flynn’s sudden appearance had not improved the situation. She was clutching a bright pink bakery box in her hands like it was all that was anchoring her to the spot. 

“I was looking for Julie...who are you? How do you know...Trevor?” 

Trevor had appeared behind Flynn and she was grateful for the backup honestly. 

“Sammi? What are you doing here?” Trevor asked.

The woman in the doorway looked between the two of them the frown on her face growing by the second. 

“I...are you sure Julie’s not here?”

And that, quite frankly, was when Flynn broke. She knew Reggie was somewhere behind her freaking out and under different circumstances she would love to chat with his sister. She just did not have the time.

“Look, I know this must seem really rude and vaguely crazy but we’re in the middle of a life or death or life after death crisis so if you have a reason for being here you need to tell us and then leave. Trust me anything you can say to Julie you can say to me.”

There was a pause while Sammi’s eyes widened and Trevor cringed.

“Life after death crisis? Ok, well you are a little scary but also persuasive,” Sammi finally managed to say. “I came to talk to Julie because my struggling bakery has suddenly filled up with teenage customers. And none of them would tell me how they heard about us. I finally got it out of one of them though.”

“Traitor broke the challenge rules,” Flynn muttered.

“And when I went online to check out this band of Julie's, imagine my surprise when I saw my dead brother was her bassist. Trevor have you seen this? Either you or the angry girl need to tell me what the hell is going on!” 

Flynn sucked in a breath and looked over her shoulder at Trevor. He was shaking his head as if to tell her not to say anything but Flynn did not have time. 

“I really wish I didn’t have to alter your life in such a borderline irresponsible way but we are running out of time and actually we could use all the help we could get. Your brother’s a ghost, he’s right behind me, an evil ghost has Julie and we’re about to leave on a possible suicide mission to save her. You in?”

Sammi blinked in a dazed way for a few long seconds. 

“He’s right behind you?” She asked. “Right now?” 

Flynn nodded as Sammi peered at the empty room over her shoulder. 

“Wait...did you say suicide mission?” 

Flynn pushed her back out the door. 

“I’ll explain it on the way, come on.”

* * *

Josie was not stupid.

She had spent her formative years with the example of two women who instilled in her an absolutely foolproof BS meter. Her mom had drilled into her the importance of being honest with others. Her Aunt Rose had made sure she also knew how important it was to be honest with yourself. 

So she prided herself on her ability not only to see when someone was lying to her but call them out on it. It was usually for the best even if people didn’t appreciate it in the moment.

So when Julie had tried to pass off her plastic projector as a state of the art hologram device she had no hesitation to say out loud just how ridiculous the idea was. 

Julie hadn’t been ready to tell her the truth and that was ok. Josie could wait. 

So she hadn’t been that surprised when Flynn called and told her she had to tell her something about her cousin’s hologram band. 

Until she actually heard the explanation. 

“Ghosts. You’re seriously telling me they’re ghosts? Have you been drinking Flynn? Do you need me to pick you up somewhere?”

“No! Well...yes, but not because I’m drunk. Julie said you were already suspicious!” 

“Yeah, that she was testing out some new secret technology for Apple or something not that she had started performing with the undead.”

“So you’re not coming?”

“I didn’t say that.”

So, no. Josie was not stupid.

But she was loyal. She was also fiercely protective of the people she loved. So despite the fact that her mind was reeling she wasn’t about to not answer the call to save Julie from a maniacal magician spirit. 

She pulled up in front of Julie’s house to see a truly motley crew assembled at the end of the driveway. 

A woman a few years older than her nervously clutching a pink box. 

Fading rockstar Trevor Wilson running his hands anxiously through his hair. 

And Flynn herself holding what looked to be one of Carlos' baseball bats. 

Josie leaned out of her window and shook her head unable to stop her next comment from escaping.

“What kind of budget Scooby gang shit is this?”

Flynn rolled her eyes.

“You have no idea. Let’s go.” 

Trevor examined Josie’s beat up car suspiciously. 

“Uhhh...are you sure we can’t take one of my cars? My driver could be here in 15 minutes.”

“We don’t have 15 minutes!” Flynn countered, jabbing her bat in Trevor’s direction. 

“And do you really want to take the chance you’ll have to explain why three young women were seen getting into the backseat of one of Trevor Wilson’s cars?” Josie chimed in. 

Trevor bobbed his head and reached for the backseat door. 

“Point taken.” 

Flynn crossed over to the other side and got into the backseat leaving the woman clutching the pink box to slide in next to Josie. 

“Ok, where to Flynn?”

“I don’t actually know.”

“Ok, how are we supposed to get there then?”

Flynn pointed to the empty middle seat. 

Josie tried not to make a snide comment about ghosts needing to announce themselves before taking up residence in someone else’s vehicle. She managed to fight down the urge but it was tough. She couldn’t help it, she responded to crises with sarcasm. Coping mechanisms and all that. 

“And who is this?” She gestured vaguely towards the backseat. 

“His name’s Willie and he’s going to tell Trevor where to go and Trevor will tell you. The others will do their ghost poofing thing and meet us there.” 

Josie nodded and practically sucked her lips back into her mouth in an effort not to start a rant about how truly weird this situation was. 

“Right. Trevor Wilson can talk to ghosts. Why not. That tracks. Ok let’s go.” 

Josie eased on to the road and headed in the direction Trevor instructed her to. The car descended into awkward silence. Josie did not do well with awkward silences. She glanced over at the woman sitting next to her who looked just as amazed as Josie did by the situation but twice as shell shocked. 

“So...who are you?” 

The woman’s eyes darted over to Josie and she managed a shaky smile. 

“Oh, sorry that was thoughtless of me. I just got in your car and didn’t even introduce myself. I’m Samantha. Lately I’ve been going by Sammi again though. That was my nickname as a kid.”

Josie chuckled as the woman next to her finished speaking. She responded to a world shifting crisis with sarcasm. Apparently this girl responded with word vomit. 

“Sammi. Got it. And how are you connected to this little supernatural jamboree?”

“My brother’s the bassist in Julie’s ghost band. Apparently. I came over here to confront Julie after I saw their video online.”

Josie nodded toward the box in Sammi’s hands. 

“What’s that?” 

“Oh, I brought croissants.” 

“You brought croissants to a confrontation?” 

“I didn’t want to be rude.”

Josie laughed, a burst of genuine amusement she couldn’t contain despite how her nerves were singing with fear for Julie. 

“Well, you can pick a fight with me anytime, croissant girl. I’m Julie’s cousin Josie.” 

By the time they were pulling over down the street from the imposing hotel all of the amusement had drained out of the atmosphere. 

“Where did this place even come from?” Flynn asked in an awed voice as they got out of the car.

“Yeah, we’re not far from my bakery and I’ve never seen this hotel before.” Sammi agreed. “How is that even possible?”

“Willie says you can’t find it unless you’re invited or you know what you’re looking for.” Trevor explained as they neared the entrance a sense of dread settling over them all about what they might find inside. 

Flynn took a deep breath, gripping her bat tighter.

“Are the rest of the guys here?”

Trevor nodded.

“So what happens when we go in?” Sammi asked.

There was a pause before Trevor answered. 

“About a foot in front of that door is an invisible line. Living people who cross that line get Caleb’s stamp. He’ll own our souls. Either we win or…”

“He drains our souls and kills us.” Flynn filled in. 

“They want you to know you don’t have to do this.” Trevor translated. “They’ll find another way.”

“Julie’s in there?” Josie asked.

Trevor nodded.

“And some ghost is trying to kill her as we speak?”

He nodded again.

“Then I have to do this. What about you guys?”

She held out her hand to Flynn who gripped it in the hand not holding the bat. Josie held out her other hand to Sammi who hesitated for only a moment before taking it. Trevor grabbed Sammi’s other hand. 

“Here goes nothing,” Josie muttered.

Then they stepped over the threshold.

Together. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Josie says “budget Scooby gang” I say this is my version of the avengers. 😂 
> 
> But seriously there is something sweet about people from every random part of Julie’s life coming together to save her.


	39. That’s a terrible plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry I didn’t get this up yesterday. I was really tired and everything I wrote was terrible and it just didn’t happen. It’s here now! 
> 
> Again, warning to those who can’t handle cliffhangers: STOP NOW. This is the worst cliffhanger of the whole story and I’m not going to pretend it isn’t. But the next chapter will have resolution and answers so if you can make it through this one you should be ok. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you. If it will drive you crazy you can come back after the next one is posted.
> 
> On another note, if anyone knows an artist who does JATP fan art and takes commissions let me know where to find their stuff! 
> 
> Ok, enjoy!

Luke had calmed down slightly after Willie’s words. 

The mantra of “now we go get her back” had given him something solid to latch onto, a raft in the tumultuous seas he was drowning in. 

But “calm” was relative. And just because he was no longer shoving one of their few allies against a wall or screaming at his friends didn’t mean the internal panic was choking him any less.

He had mainly hung back while the others discussed a plan. It wasn’t much of a plan anyway, born completely out of Willie’s assumptions about their abilities and the undeniable fact that they didn’t have any better options. He didn’t have anything to contribute, didn’t even have the mental space to pretend that he did. So he just leaned against Julie’s desk and used every bit of his will power to keep himself from poofing out on his own to stand in front of a hotel he couldn’t see and scream for Caleb to give Julie back. 

But when Flynn had disappeared for a few minutes and returned to say that the first lifer she had recruited to help them was Bobby he had woken up enough to protest. 

“We can’t trust him,” He told Reggie emphatically. “Not with this. Not with  _ Julie _ .” 

Reggie gave him a look like he wanted to disagree but in the end only typed out Luke’s dissent for Flynn. 

The girl did not have a lot of patience for Luke’s point of view.

“Look, if you have a better idea for a living person who cares about Julie, can take the existence of ghosts in stride  _ and  _ can see and hear you guys, then you’re welcome to speak up now.”

Luke wanted to argue. He wanted to fight. But he knew that wasn’t because Flynn was wrong. It was just because he was angry generally. It wasn’t fair to take it out on Flynn who was equally scared for Julie and risking just as much as any of them to try to get her back. Maybe more.

So in the end all he did was nod to Reggie and stalk off to lean against the desk again. 

By the time Bobby actually showed up he had adjusted to the idea. What he had not adjusted to was the idea that before they could get out the door Reggie’s sister had shown up barely clutching to a pink box and her sanity. 

He glanced over at Reggie and took in his friend’s shocked expression with a cringe. This was not what they needed right now. He wanted Reggie to have time to process his sister’s sudden knowledge of his ghostly existence, he really did. 

He just knew that time couldn’t be  _ now _ . 

So as Flynn ushered a stunned Sammi out of the house, Alex and Luke did the same with Reggie.

“You ok, bro?” Alex asked as the four ghosts stood back and watched as Flynn and Trevor took turns trying to explain the situation to Sammi.

“Of course I’m not ok!” Reggie exclaimed, reaching up to tug at his hair anxiously. “Almost everyone we care about is getting ready to walk right into Caleb’s trap.”

“One of the people we care about is already there,” Luke couldn’t help but point out in a clipped voice.

Reggie exhaled harshly.

“I know. I do, I know. And I am more than ready to take my chances and go get her back. But Flynn? Sammi? I did not sign up for getting them into this.”

“None of us signed up for this,” Alex said softly.

“Well, I kind of did,” Willie contradicted, offering Alex a sad smile. “Sold my soul and all that. But I’m ready to ask for a refund.”

Alex returned his smile and reached out to squeeze one of Willie’s shoulders before dropping his hand back to his side.

“Look, I hate that more of the people we care about will be in danger. But it’s not up to us. They care about Julie too.” Luke pointed out.

Reggie sighed and when he spoke again it was barely audible even to the friends standing directly next to him. 

“I just got her back.”

Luke felt a lot of things in that moment. He felt a rush of sadness for Reggie’s situation. He felt the constant background hum of fear about what was happening to Julie. But mostly he felt absolute fury towards Caleb. 

He was hurting Luke’s family. 

He was about to offer Reggie a hug when the sound of a car approaching drew everyone’s attention. 

Josie.

Of course once Flynn had informed him she had called Julie’s cousin and looped her in, Luke had realized it made perfect sense. He had only spent one night in Josie’s company but it was more than enough for him to realize several things. First of all, she took no prisoners when it came to looking out for those she cared about. Second, she absolutely did not believe Jukie’s projector was creating her hologram band. It wasn’t that surprising that Flynn could make her believe or at least get her on board enough to show up.

And show up she did.

“What kind of budget Scooby gang shit is this?”

Luke frowned as he looked at the crew they had assembled.

Josie had a point. They didn’t exactly look like a group prepared to take on a supernatural villain. Sammi was still holding a box which presumably held baked goods for God’s sake. 

But he also was incredibly grateful to all of them. And in the absence of some kind of ghost swat team...they would have to do. 

The lifers and Willie piled into the car. Luke and Reggie tried not to comment on the way Alex and Willie gave each other lingering looks as though they weren’t headed to the exact same place. He got it. He really did.

They poofed down the street from the hotel knowing they couldn’t get too close on their own. It seemed to take forever for the car to arrive and Luke spent the time pacing furiously while Alex and Reggie kept their distance. 

When their lifer team finally arrived, Luke felt the buzzing energy in his veins reach a fever pitch. This was it. Now or never as they wrote in a song. Twice. 

In a few minutes they would be inside and they would either succeed in rescuing Julie or...he wouldn’t let himself consider any other possibility.

He couldn’t.

He had already come to terms with the fact that despite knowing her for only a few months he couldn’t remember how he had lived without her. He didn’t want to have to come to terms with the idea that he would ever have to again. 

Luke and his bandmates lingered close behind their lifer rescue crew as Willie used Bobby as a translator to explain what would happen if they chose to cross the invisible line in front of them.

He could see Reggie clenching his hands into fists as he watched the girls in front of them consider Bobby’s words.

Luke felt guilt rush over him. 

Should they have done a better job making sure they knew what they were getting into? 

“Bobby, tell them they don’t have to. We can find another way if they’re not sure.” 

Bobby passed on his comment even as both Alex and Reggie rounded on him.

“What are you doing?” Reggie demanded.

“Yeah, we don’t have another plan, dude,” Alex pointed out nervously.

“I know,” Luke placed a hand on each of their shoulders. “But if we’re doing this, we’re doing it the right way.”

“Then I have to do this. What about you guys?” Josie asked, bringing their focus back to the group in front of them. 

The boys watched as the girls and Trevor joined hands. Luke grabbed Reggie’s hand, who grabbed Alex’s hand who gripped Willie’s hand in turn. 

“Here goes nothing.” Josie said.

And then they were in. 

Unlike the last time the guys had been in the club the place appeared to be deserted. The ballroom was decorated as though a party was about to begin, flower centerpieces on each table and lights twinkling from around the edges of the room. But there was no one actually there. 

Reggie turned eagerly to his sister only to have her continue to stare right through him. 

“Shouldn’t she be able to see me in here?” He asked Willie.

Willie shook his head.

“This is Caleb’s club. He makes the rules. If he doesn’t want you visible to lifers you won’t be.”

“Of course we couldn’t have one thing be easy,” Alex groaned. 

“Someone’s coming, Flynn, get your bat,” Josie hissed.

“A bat isn’t going to work on a ghost,” Luke advised despite the fact that the girls couldn’t hear him.

“It could,” Willie corrected. “Like I said, Caleb’s clubs his rules. He might have given some of his ghosts the ability to be solid in here and they might be dumb enough not to poof out of the way in time. If we’re lucky.”

“Oh because we’ve been known for our luck so far,” Alex whispered.

“We need a strategy,” Luke insisted, ignoring Alex’s less than optimistic assessment of their situation. “It seems like touching is the best way to get soul energy from a lifer so we should form a chain or something. We just have to remember not to take too much.”

“You say that like we know how to take it at all,” Reggie pointed out. 

“We’re hoping it’s instinctual,” Luke admitted.

“It has been for you so far,” Willie said in an attempt to be reassuring. Unfortunately there was nothing reassuring about the idea that they had been unwittingly draining Julie right along with Caleb.

But that was something to feel guilty over later when they had her back. 

“But what do we do with it once we have it?” Alex asked. “We don’t know how to channel it into powers or anything.”

“I don’t know either, not exactly. Caleb keeps us in the dark,” Willie admitted. “But my theory is it’s all based on what you  _ want  _ to be able to do. Makes sense why you can be seen while you play and why you can touch Julie.”

Luke nodded. He heard Bobby repeating their conversation to the lifers in the background.

“I say we go with force lightning,” Reggie suggested eagerly. “You know like the emperor uses?”

Luke gave him a doubting look before turning to Alex.

“Any other ideas?”

“If someone asks you if you’re a god, you say yes,” Alex answered, before wilting slightly under Luke’s glare. “This situation reminds me a lot of the end of Ghostbusters. Could be important advice.”

Luke sighed. 

“Any strategy that  _ doesn’t  _ involve 80s movie trivia?”

If there was an answer coming he didn’t get to hear it. Their conversation was interrupted by a shout from Reggie’s sister. 

“There!” Sammi pointed to a doorway across the room where a lone figure was stumbling into sight. 

A lone figure who looked a lot like Nick.  _ Looked  _ a lot like Nick. But they knew better. 

Luke didn’t have the presence of mind to wait and form a strategy. He didn’t have the ability in that moment to even think through what a colossal mistake this could be. He just poofed over to behind the room’s newest occupant and wrapped one arm around his throat, ignoring the sharp gasp of surprise from his target as he dragged him towards the center of the room.

“Where’s Julie?” He demanded, squeezing the arm around “Nick’s” throat even tighter. “What did you do to her?”

“What is going on?” Josie shouted. “I take it he isn’t choking on thin air?”

“Luke has him in a chokehold,” Bobby supplied nervously. 

Flynn took that as her queue. Striding toward what to her appeared to be only Nick gasping for air.

“Let him go, Luke. He can’t answer if you’re killing him.” 

Luke hated that she was right. He released his hold but didn’t move more than a few inches in case he needed to attack again. He expected Flynn to calmly attempt to interrogate the possessed boy in front of her but instead she raised her baseball bat as though preparing to swing it at his head.

“Whoa, whoa, Flynn what are you doing?” The person who appeared outwardly to be Nick choked out, raising his hands defensively.

“I have had it up to here with ghosts taking my girl’s energy, throwing things around like a toddler in the middle of a tantrum, and kidnapping people who were minding their own business! So you’re going to tell me where Julie is or I’m going to make you wish you had and pay for Nick’s medical bills later!”

Luke was both intimidated and impressed by her speech. He was suddenly very glad that she was on the same side as him. 

“I  _ am _ Nick!” The boy cowering in front of Flynn protested. “The last thing I remember is going to Julie’s house with flowers then I woke up here.”

“Wrong answer!” 

Flynn raised her bat again. 

“But he’s telling the truth,” A voice echoed throughout the room. “I’ve had a change of wardrobe.” 

Luke just had time to glance nervously around the room searching for the source of the surrounding voice before Caleb poofed on to the stage. The ghost grinned as though he was entertaining and his guests had just arrived. 

Luke and Flynn retreated back to the rest of the group, Flynn tugging Nick with her apologetically. 

“Boys, boys! It’s so good to have you back. Long time no see. Except that’s not strictly true is it? Thanks to my little suit down there I’ve kept a very close eye on you.” 

“Is he...is he implying that he’s been  _ wearing  _ me?” Nick looked to be on the verge of passing out.

“You can have your crisis later, kid,” Josie hissed, clapping him on the back roughly in an attempt to revive him. 

“Where’s Julie?” Luke demanded. 

Caleb rolled his eyes. 

“This is the problem with you lot. No sense of pacing. No attention to dramatic build up. First rule of showmanship, never give away your big reveal too soon. But I suppose if you insist…”

He snapped his fingers and two more figures poofed on to the stage. One was one of the ghosts from the club, Luke thought his name might be Dante, smiling smugly and holding someone else by the arm.

And that someone was Julie.

She was dressed in a sparkling, purple dress that ended just over her knees, catching the lights and throwing reflections all over the dimly lit room. 

Luke’s heart was in his throat as he took her in. He heard almost all of his ghostly companions shouting her name and Bobby too but he couldn’t seem to find the air to say anything at all. Her eyes locked with his though and he knew she heard him anyway. 

“Let her go!” Reggie shouted. 

“She’s here?” Flynn asked desperately.

“Now why would I do that?” Caleb gestured at the girl still being held in place by Dante. “She’s going to be the next big attraction in my band. Playing and singing with me for eternity. Backup vocals of course. But first there is the little matter of making her eligible. It won’t take much just a little bit more.”

As if to emphasize his point he pointed to Julie and then waved his hand with a flourish. Julie sagged a little more against her captor indicating that Caleb was drawing soul energy from her.  _ Again _ . 

“Stop!” Luke shouted.

“Would now be a good time to try out our creepy powers?” Alex whispered harshly, earning him a subtle nod from Luke. 

Luke stepped forward to distract Caleb while the boys and Bobby subtly nudged everyone else into a line. 

Luckily it didn’t take much to get Caleb talking.

“You really did all this just to get back at us? For not joining your band?”

Caleb laughed. 

“You think I’m that desperate for talent? You’re good on that little six string, Luke. You’re not that good.”

“So why do all of this?” Luke asked, glancing behind him to make sure everyone was in position. 

“Because I can. Because it’s fun. Because her soul energy is extremely potent.  _ Because we had a deal _ .”

“We never agreed to any deal,” Luke snapped, his eyes darting constantly to Julie who looked fiercely angry despite her crushing exhaustion. 

Caleb scoffed. 

“I have to say I didn’t expect such a delightful group of misfits to turn up at my door.”

He pointed at Julie then her bandmates.

“Wendy and her lost boys.”

He flicked his finger towards Flynn and Nick.

“The brave children.” 

He swung his finger down the line.

“The powerless cousin. The little sister all grown up. The one who betrayed his friends and...William. I have to say I’m disappointed by your choices lately young man.”

“The only choice I regret is joining you,” Willie spat. 

“Now!” Luke shouted, poofing back a few steps and linking hands with Reggie. Reggie linked hands with Alex and on down the line until they were all touching.

Luke concentrated all of his willpower on what he wanted to do, reaching into their friends and taking what he needed to save Julie. He pictured a ball of glowing light and let the image grow bigger and brighter. He tried to picture the light traveling to his fingers. Yes! Maybe this was working! 

He raised his free hand, forced all of his focus onto the ends of his fingers and jabbed his arm in Caleb’s direction. 

And then...nothing. 

He did it again once more just in case his force lightning was just backed up or something. 

Nothing happened. 

Caleb raised an eyebrow. 

“Am I supposed to be impressed?”

“Why isn’t it working?” Reggie asked.

“You really thought that just because you can perform a few party tricks you could do what I do?” Caleb questioned, his tone full of amusement. “And your plan was what? To bring a grand total of four lifers who I suspect you weren’t even willing to fully drain? You have no idea the amount of soul energy I’ve taken. Not to mention…”

He waved his hands and purple stamps glowed on their wrists, ghosts and lifers alike. 

“Anything that’s yours is mine now. I can take it all and I will.” 

“What now?” Alex whispered tensely. 

Caleb either heard or he was already a step ahead of them. 

“Now, now boys. I’m going to have to insist you stop rushing this. I’ve been looking forward to this evening for a very long time and we’ve prepared a little to show for you. Ah, but it would be rude not to let all of our guests enjoy it.”

He snapped his fingers again and if the gasps were anything to go by their lifer allies could now see Caleb, Dante and Julie. A quick wave in front of Flynn’s face confirmed that they still couldn’t see Luke and the boys however. Of course. That would be too easy. 

“Places everyone!” 

At Caleb’s words more members of his band poofed in, instruments at the ready. Julie disappeared and reappeared behind a piano, clearly struggling to stand up but unable to leave the bench. 

The group whose hopes of a rescue mission were quickly dwindling gathered even closer together as the sounds of music flooded the room.

Julie was clearly still struggling but her fingers were dancing quickly over the keys anyway, like a puppet jerking on strings. 

“Are we seriously going to have a musical number right now?” Josie demanded incredulously. 

Apparently the answer was yes, which didn’t surprise Luke. His eyes were still locked firmly on Julie as his mind raced trying to come up with a new plan. 

Caleb began to sing with a flourish, a satisfied but frightening look on his face.

_ There’s nothing like a little game  _

_ To help us pass the time  _

_ So take a seat and make your bets  _

_ I’ve already placed mine  _

_ You may have had beginner’s luck  _

_ But that is running out  _

_ You’re about to learn what losing truly means _

_ Of that I have no doubt _

“We have to do something,” Sammi shouted to be heard over the music.

“Like what?” Bobby asked.

“Attack on 3? And hope we can distract them long enough one of her ghosts can poof Julie out?” Josie suggested.

“That’s a terrible plan,” Nick pointed out.

“Anyone got something better?” Flynn demanded.

Luke felt the panic that had been threatening to overwhelm him since the moment Julie disappeared finally wash over him uncontrollably. They were losing. No, they had never even been in the game. And now everyone Julie cared about was going to go down trying to save her. She wouldn’t have wanted that. 

_ You think you’ve got something to show _

_ Go ahead and roll those dice _

_ But I have seen the future, babe  _

_ And I’m not playing nice  _

_ You don’t last as long as me  _

_ Without learning a trick or two  _

_ So sit back and watch your fate unfold  _

_ This one’s just for you _

“1...2...3!” Josie counted. 

They all scattered. Caleb only smiled.

Flynn ran directly for Caleb her bat raised behind her. 

_ We need a little of this… _

He flicked his finger in her direction and she flew backwards until her back was against the wall, her bat pressing against her neck and holding her in place.

At the same time Josie,Sammi and Bobby had been moments away from reaching the side of the stage when Caleb snapped his fingers in their direction. 

_ We need a little of that… _

When Caleb snapped his fingers Bobby stopped short, reaching out with both of his hands and grasping Josie and Sammi by the shoulders. He dragged them backwards with superhuman strength. 

Nick did a little better, actually making it onto the steps leading to the stage before Caleb waved a hand in his direction. 

_ How about some of this… _

Nick floated up into the air, peddling his arms and legs as though that could bring him back to the ground. 

At the same time all of the ghosts had poofed onto the stage, Willie, Alex and Reggie rushing towards Caleb as Luke grabbed for Julie. He was less than an inch from making contact with her when Caleb’s attention turned to them. 

_ Why not some of that… _

Luke felt himself being jerked back as though he was being tugged through a tube he had no business fitting through. When he came back to himself he realized that he and his friends were back in the center of the room, somehow having poofed against their will. 

He moved to rush back towards the stage only to run into an invisible barrier. 

“I can’t poof out of here,” Alex announced, fear thick in his tone. 

Luke trusted his friend but he tried anyway. 

Nothing.

And Caleb was  _ still singing _ . 

Luke had been angry many times in his life. Angry at his parents. Angry at Bobby. Angry at himself. But he had never truly known what it meant to  _ hate  _ until now. 

_ Now, now boys don’t look so glum _

_ We all know you tried your best  _

_ Your struggle will all be over soon  _

_ I’ve scheduled you some permanent rest  _

_ So if you could direct your attention  _

_ To the girl across the room  _

_ It’s time to start the main event  _

_ Bippity...boppity...BOOM! _

Caleb waved his hands with another flourish and Julie floated up from the piano still struggling. He flicked a finger and she flew across the room crashing into one of the tables there and sending all of its decorations crashing to the ground along with her. 

“Julie!” Luke screamed her name in agony, an agony he heard reflected in the shouts of many in the room.

The music faded out as Caleb floated down off the stage and crossed the room slowly on foot towards the girl just beginning to push herself up to a sitting position.

As he passed Luke threw himself against the invisible barrier with all of his strength. He made no progress but he tried over and over, the other three ghosts doing the same. 

Caleb stopped in front of Julie, looking down at her, considering her feeble but defiant form. 

“I had planned to kill you first then make you watch as I drained your pet ghosts out of existence but I admit I’m growing a little impatient. I’m considering just doing it all in one go. What do you think?”

Julie opened her mouth but no sound came out. 

“Oh, you can speak now.” He waved his hand again and a choked cough emerged from the girl at his feet.

“Let us go!”

Caleb rolled his eyes. 

“That’s disappointing. I have to say I expected more from you, Julie. No heroic offer to sacrifice yourself in exchange for your friends’ lives?”

Julie tried to stand only to sink back to her elbows, gritting out her next words through clenched teeth. 

“I deserve a life too. And you deserve to die once and for all without the attention you’re so desperate for.”

“The selfless Julie finally stands up for herself. Character development. How adorable.”

He pretended to consider for a moment before grinning again. 

“Time’s up for Julie and her phantoms. And you know, I think I'll take your lifer friends too. Cleaner that way. Don’t worry, as you know the process is quite painless for the living. The dead...aren’t so lucky.”

Julie tried yet again to stand but Caleb was already raising his arms and closing his eyes. Luke barely had time to register what was happening before he was hit with a jolt stronger than any he had ever felt before. 

He groaned and collapsed to the floor, registering that his friends were doing the same. He forced his eyes around the room to see everyone sagging forward as Caleb drained them. Bobby’s grip on the girls he held fell away as they all collapsed towards the floor. Flynn’s bat clattered to the ground and she followed it down. Nick had lowered to the floor, his eyes sliding shut as his life force escaped him at a quick rate. 

Another excruciating jolt hit Luke as he managed to drag his gaze over to the one person he most wanted to see if this was his last few moments of existence. 

Julie.

She had collapsed all the way back to the floor, her cheek pressed against its surface. Somehow even from a distance, even in their weakened states, her eyes locked with his instantly. 

He watched as a single tear escaped her eye and traced a path down her cheek. 

Then another jolt rocked his body and his eyes slid closed. He couldn’t open them again. 

_ I love you, Julie. I’m sorry.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is our “Julie crying in an alley while the boys fight for their souls” moment except it’s season 2 so it has to be more intense right??


	40. Love, Mom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We made it. 💜 Not to the end but it’s still an ending. I don’t want to say too much before you read it just that this one means a lot to me and I hope it will to you too. 
> 
> Oh, and if you want a good cry listen to “Angel by the Wings” by Sia like I did on repeat while writing this. If this really was my tv show that song would play behind this scene.

Julie was dying. 

It was strange how calm she felt in the face of that fact. She was angry. She was broken-hearted. But she wasn’t scared. 

What had Luke said?

_ Pretty quick it felt like it was something separate from me...I just felt kind of floaty and weak.  _

_ And then it was over. _

Julie knew what he meant now. And it was. It was almost over. 

Caleb was standing over her and she knew he was talking but she could barely hear him at this point. His voice was coming to her as though it were echoing down a long tunnel. Some words seemed to repeat endlessly while others never reached her ears at all. She didn’t mind. His gloating wasn’t what she wanted to focus on now.

She let her eyes drift around the room, seeking out her brave, brave friends...her  _ family  _ who had come to rescue her. 

Flynn. Trevor. Sammi. Josie. Nick. Willie. Alex. Reggie. All of them so brave, and good and loving. All collapsed on the floor as everything that made them who they were was ripped away. 

And then there was Luke. 

Her eyes found his easily despite the distance between them. He was collapsed on the floor like the rest though even in his weakened state she could see the way his fingers twitched as if any second now he would find the strength to push himself back to his feet. As if he would find the strength to save her. 

She wished that she could tell him it was ok. That it wasn’t his fault and he did everything he could. 

But another part of her wanted to tell him that none of this was ok. That this wasn’t how their story was supposed to end. That part of her wanted to scream and rage against the situation, wanted to call out to whoever was masterminding all of this from above that she couldn’t see the point of bringing the guys into her life if it was all going to end like  _ this _ . 

She had thought she figured it all out after they defeated Caleb the first time. That she was meant to help the guys and pay them back for helping her find music again. Recently she had thought maybe it wasn’t about owing them but about taking care of each other. About reminding each other about all of the things they deserved. 

But maybe there was no why. 

Maybe her mom was just happy somewhere and had no idea about any of this. Maybe she really was just a 15 year old girl who let herself believe for a moment that she could be more. 

Julie could feel slow tears tracing wet paths down her cheeks though even that sensation was fading.

She thought of her dad. She thought of Carlos.

Would they even know what happened to her? Would she just disappear from their lives like a whisper that got lost in the wind? Would she become just another scar on top of a scar on top of a scar for those she left behind? 

She wished she had more time. She wished she could say goodbye. She wished she had someone to hold her hand. 

_ I think most times a ghost is a wish _ .

She wished so many things.

Caleb’s voice pierced through the haze threatening to overwhelm her senses. 

“That’s more like it. You know, you really are special, Julie. Anyone else would have been gone by now. Your friends haven’t endured nearly as much and I’ve already nearly drained them dry. It won’t save you but you should be proud. But it’s time to let go now. Come on now, you can do it.”

Whatever he was doing to her intensified. It wasn’t painful but it rocked her body all the same. Julie tried instinctively to crawl away but all she managed to do was roll onto her other side, facing away from Caleb. 

He continued to speak but his words faded out for her as she stared blearily in the other direction. She was looking directly at the ruins of the table that had collapsed when Caleb tossed her into it. 

The table rested on its side, its bright white tablecloth having slid halfway to the floor. Candles and some kind of decorative glass beads had scattered across the floor, the latter throwing reflections that danced across Julie’s face. She blinked sluggishly to clear her vision from the prisms that shone across the floor. There was also a broken vase, abandoned flowers lying half crushed on the ground. 

That’s when she saw it. 

The flower closest to her, somehow still pristine despite the abrupt violence it had endured. 

A dahlia. 

Julie didn’t have much strength left but she put everything she still had into reaching out for that flower. Her fingers stretched towards its silky petals, centimeter by centimeter until she brushed against it with a single fingertip. 

At first all she registered was its softness. She couldn’t help but marvel how something so beautiful, so delicate, so  _ good  _ could exist among all this chaos and hurt. She managed to twitch her finger along the petals in an approximation of stroking the cheek of someone she loved. Imagined someone was stroking her cheek back. 

Suddenly Julie felt an overwhelming rush of warmth and comfort. It wasn’t a sensation she could easily describe and it wasn’t truly physical at all. It wasn’t a tight hug or a gentle kiss. It wasn’t a loving smile or a reassuring word. But it was all of those things at once distilled into one impossible to pinpoint feeling.

_ It was her mom _ . 

“Mom…” 

She wasn’t sure if she actually managed to choke out the word or if she only uttered it in her mind. Either way the feeling responded, glowing brighter and wrapping around her more firmly. 

“I can’t do it, Mom. I tried. I promise. I tried. I can’t do it. I screwed everything up” 

Suddenly a voice sounded in her mind. It didn’t belong to her and it didn’t belong to Caleb. It didn’t even belong to her mom. 

It was her dad. 

_ “We all make mistakes sometimes but we figure them out together and we do better the next time.” _

It was a memory but it didn’t feel like one. It felt like he was there with her. 

Before she could react more voices, more memories swirled through her mind, ebbing and flowing like water trickling around the stones in her mind. Clearing a path and easing the aches they found there. 

_ “Love is never going to come without risk.” _

Flynn. 

_ “Sometimes you have to let us carry you.” _

Reggie.

_ “No regrets.” _

Luke.

_ “It’ s all going to be ok.” _

Alex.

_ “Never give them an inch.” _

Josie.

_ “We get to choose.” _

Sammi. 

The voices started coming faster, flowing through her mind more easily.

_ “You’re the boss. Own your power girl.” _

But then Caleb’s voice was cutting through. 

“Now you’re just being stubborn. You can’t win, Julie. It’s too late. We’re  _ connected _ now. Can’t you feel it?”

The voices were insistent though, pushing their way back to the forefront of her mind, echoing louder than ever. Luke’s voice was the loudest of all. 

_ “It’s a closed door and you gotta bust it open.” _

_ “Connections go two ways, Jules.” _

We’re connected now. Connections go two ways. 

_ Connections go two ways.  _

She knew what she had to do. She just didn’t know if she could. She was so tired. She was just one girl. She was just...her. No one would expect her to be strong enough. 

Flynn’s voice...the memory...pushed forward in her mind insistently.

_ “Now let’s go prove everyone wrong.” _

Then all of the voices faded away and a memory in the form of an image took their places. 

Her mom’s piano. 

The song she found there.

The note in the corner. 

Then her mom’s voice filling up every available space in her mind as it read those words to her with all the conviction and faith and  _ love  _ possible.

_ You can do it, Julie. _

_ Love, Mom. _

Her vision cleared and the voices faded away. 

Julie reached deep inside herself for the last reserve of strength she hadn’t known she possessed. She poured it into her limbs willing them to move. At first nothing happened.

Then slowly, slowly she was able to draw her hands under her body, then push herself up to her elbows, then to a seated position. 

She turned to face Caleb who looked shocked though he was doing his best to hide it behind a sneer.

“This is just getting sad. Let’s finish this.” 

He raised a hand towards her and Julie was rocked by another wave of his drain but she gritted her teeth and continued pushing her hands into the floor with everything she had. 

And slowly, slowly she rose to her feet. 

She took a shaky step towards Caleb whose face was now a mask of confusion and barely concealed fear. 

He raised his hand higher and furrowed his brow in concentration and she was rocked yet again. 

She stumbled and nearly toppled to the floor but managed to remain standing. She raised her head and met Caleb’s gaze directly.

Whatever he saw her in her expression must have panicked him.

“What are you doing? You  _ can’t  _ do this.” 

Julie raised one hand then the other, mimicking Caleb’s own stance.

“I can do anything.” 

Then she closed her eyes and focused on the ghost in front of her. She felt it. The invisible string connecting them, the way it pulsed and glowed with the energy he was taking from her, had been taking from her for a long time. It was time to take it back.

She pictured herself reaching out for the light that connected them and tugged. 

Julie felt a surge unlike anything she had ever experienced as the connection reversed and soul energy flowed into her.

It was the way it felt to be on stage as a crowd cheered. It was Luke’s smile. It was her dad’s hugs. It was everything. 

“Stop!” 

Her eyes snapped open at Caleb’s shout, his face pale and fearful even as he struggled to turn the tide back in his favor.

“This was never yours,” Julie told him, strength returning to her voice as the energy continued to flow into her. “To you it was just power but it’s so much more than that…” 

Caleb fell to his knees as Julie continued to draw out the power that had allowed him to torment both the living and dead for so many years. The warmth, and light and hope he never earned. It belonged to her and her friends and hundreds of faceless people and ghosts whose names she would never know, who lost so much without ever having a say. 

_ We’ve already lost so much. We can’t lose this too.  _

Caleb no longer had his hands raised in attack but was gripping his stomach in pain and flickering in and out of view.

“It’s love. And I’m taking it back.”

Caleb flickered again then burst out of existence, a flash of golden sparks left in his place. The Sparks swirled through the air for a moment before diving into Julie, settling in her chest and filling her with a feeling that was almost too much. 

It was warm and golden and bright and  _ painful  _ but also beautiful. 

For a moment Julie thought she might burst into a cloud of light like Caleb. She raised her arms in wonder, watching the golden glow she had seen when she removed the guys’ stamps but a hundred times brighter. 

She had more energy than she could ever use, more than her body was meant to contain. She knew what she had to do.

Julie raised both of her arms in front of her and pushed the warmth out through her hands letting out a yell of exertion as the energy burst out of her and shot around the room. 

She closed her eyes and used her mind to direct the energy to those who needed it. 

Flynn. Trevor. Sammi. Josie. Nick. Willie. Alex. Reggie.

Luke. 

She felt energy flowing from her and into her friends, could somehow feel them reviving through the connection she had opened to each of them. Felt their shock and joy and relief as they came back to themselves.

Julie cut off the connections and felt a rush to her head as she came back to only herself. She wavered on her feet for a moment, her body threatening to pass out after all she had asked of it in the last few minutes. 

She thought she might end up back on the floor but suddenly there were strong arms wrapping around her and keeping her on her feet. 

She allowed her eyes to flutter open and take in Luke’s worried face. 

“Julie, are you ok?”

Julie smiled.

“I’m ok. We’re all ok.”

And for the first time in a very long time...she meant it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can do anything. 💜
> 
> They’re all going to be ok.
> 
> It was important to me that even though she has this amazing group willing to risk everything to save her...at the end of the day Julie saves herself.


	41. Good for them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the response to the last chapter. I really poured my heart into it so the fact that it resonated with you guys means everything to me.
> 
> Ready to just smile like an idiot? Maybe that’s just me while writing this chapter but we’ll see lol. What point of view do you get this chapter? SO MANY. 😂
> 
> If you want a song suggestion doe this chapter I listened to “About Love” by Marina on repeat while writing it. So good. 
> 
> Enjoy! 💜

Luke was hardly aware of anything for a while. He was lingering between the world he was desperately clinging to (the cold floor he could barely feel, the muffled talking from across the room) and the oblivion that was pulling him away (the relief of nothingness). 

Then suddenly everything changed. The pain vanished only to be replaced by a flood of warmth and light and energy. He no longer felt weak. In fact that was an incredibly understatement. He felt strong. Stronger than he ever had since their return as ghosts. 

He sat up as his friends did the same next to them. 

“What was that?” Alex asked but Luke didn’t bother to answer. 

He was already looking for the one person he wanted to see now that his death wasn’t imminent. 

Julie.

His eyes found her instantly, no longer cowering on the floor but standing, no longer pale but practically glowing with life. He couldn’t help but grin at the sight. He didn’t know what had happened but it was clear enough that his girl had figured out a way to save them all. Of course she had. 

He was about to shout her name when he saw her waver on her feet. He immediately poofed to her side, catching her in his arms and supporting her until she found her balance again. 

Her eyes opened and stared directly into his. He didn’t see any of the fear or pain he had become so used to seeing reflected in them but he still needed to be sure. 

“Julie, are you ok?”

Julie smiled.

“I’m ok. We’re all ok.”

And for the first time in a very long time...he believed her. 

She stood straight though her hands didn’t move from where they clutched at his arms. He wasn’t exactly complaining. 

“Is Caleb really gone?” 

She nodded as her smile grew wider. 

“He’s really gone.”

Luke frowned as he raised one of his hands to push the hair back from Julie’s face. 

“I don't know what happened but I just wish I could have helped you.” 

Julie shook her head, her smile still firmly in place. She reached up with both hands and placed one on each side of his face. 

“But you did. You all did.”

“How…”

Luke’s question was cut off as Julie stretched on to her tiptoes and cut off all coherent thought as she pressed her lips against his. Instinctively he wrapped his arms around her waist and tugged her closer before returning her kiss. He tried to let all of his joy and love and relief flow into it. He thought she might be doing the same. 

He had a lot of questions but they could wait. Everything but the girl in his arms and the feeling in his chest could wait. 

* * *

Flynn stood and dusted herself off, glancing around the room to assess how everyone else had fared. It seemed like everyone was in much the same state as her, dazed but in one piece. They could work with that. 

Caleb seemed to be gone and his band was nowhere to be seen. But one ghost, the one who had been holding Julie’s arm on stage, was still standing near the stage looking confused and absolutely panicked.

Flynn narrowed her eyes. She was pretty sure from what Reggie had told her this was the one who had attacked her in the kitchen and probably been helping to torment Julie all along. Which meant they had some unfinished business to put it in ghost speak. 

She scooped her bat off of the ground and took off at a sprint for the ghost who was currently faced the other way. She skidded to a stop just behind him and shouted.

“Hey, ghost boy!” 

The ghost spun around and Flynn didn’t hesitate. She raised her bat and took a swing directly at his stomach. She wasn’t sure if her bat would even make contact but to her satisfaction it did, making a satisfying thwack as he clutched his middle and fell to the ground groaning. 

“That’s what you get for messing with Double Trouble!” 

The ghost groaned once more before poofing out. 

Nick chose that moment to stumble over. 

“Whoa, Flynn you just totally beat that guy with a baseball bat!” 

Flynn shrugged.

“Eh, he’s already dead anyway. Felt good though.”

Nick grinned. 

“It looked like it.” 

His smile slowly fell off of his face.

“Wait...is that what you were going to do to me a little bit ago?”

Flynn cringed. Oh yeah, that. 

“That was a misunderstanding. Anyway! Welcome to Team Ghost Band.”

Nick shook his head but he was already smiling again. 

“I have A LOT of questions but first I would really like to go home and see my parents. And maybe shower the ghost possession off of me.”

Flynn chuckled. 

“I mean...I can’t argue with that plan.” 

“Flynn! Are you ok?” 

Flynn turned at the sound of the voice that had appeared directly behind her. 

What she saw stopped her short and stole any of the words she had been about to say. She felt her eyes widening comically but she couldn’t control it. Because standing directly in front of her was one Reggie Sullivan, ghost bassist extraordinaire. 

And she could see and hear him. 

“I know you can’t answer me but still,” Reggie’s eyes were darting around her entire body apparently looking for injuries. “Let me just take a quick look.”

“Reggie…I’m fine.”

“Hold on, Flynn, I’m just making sure...did you...did you just answer me?”

Flynn nodded, disbelief starting to give way to excitement allowing a smile to grow on her face. 

“Can you hear me? Can you see me?” Reggie asked, still clearly playing catch-up.

“I’m just gonna give you two a minute.” Nick announced before backing away slightly awkwardly. 

Flynn nodded in response to Reggie’s question. 

Reggie grinned and reached forward to pull Flynn into a tight hug. 

“You can see me!”

He lifted her off of her feet and swung her around in a joyous dance , Flynn giggling and gripping his shoulders for stability as he turned them in excited circles. 

He finally placed her back on the ground and Flynn took a moment to let the dizziness fade, still clutching at his shoulders to keep her footing. Once her vision cleared what she saw across the room was enough to bring a blush to her cheeks.

“Looks like both of your friends are uh...celebrating.” 

Reggie glanced over his shoulder and clearly saw what she was referring to. Luke and Julie were kissing. So were Alex and Willie. 

He looked back at Flynn who was suddenly very aware of how close they were standing, how her hands were still resting on his leather jacket. 

“Good for them right?” Reggie asked, his voice taking on an oddly soft tone.

“Uh...yeah. Good for them.” 

Flynn was very tempted in that moment to join in on this make out party. Apparently that was the thing to do when you suddenly escaped from the clutches of death and evil ghosts. And here was Reggie looking so cute and standing so close to her...but he was still a ghost and she was supposed to be going to homecoming that night with Brad though she had no idea how long they had been at the club. She might have already stood him up. 

She cleared her throat and stepped back, dropping her arms from their place on his shoulders and putting some space between them. 

She very purposefully didn’t look at Reggie’s face not wanting to know if she would find disappointment or relief. Instead she glanced over to the side of the room where her fellow living people minus Julie had gathered.

“I think there’s someone else you should check on.” 

She allowed herself to look back at him in time to see how Reggie followed her gaze and let his eyes land on his sister. 

He swallowed hard. 

“What do I say to her?”

Flynn placed a reassuring hand on his arm. 

“Anything. She’ll feel your heart. It’s a big one.”

Reggie gave her a soft smile and a nod before poofing across the room. 

Flynn took a deep breath. Enough of whatever...that was. She had given Julie enough time to lock lips with her boy. Time for a hug from her best friend. 

* * *

Reggie poofed in front of Sammi without having much of a plan as to what he was going to say to her. He appreciated Flynn’s advice but a large part of him still wanted this moment to be perfect. He wanted to say the perfect thing that could perfectly get across how much he loved her and how sorry he was that he left her and how happy he was to have found her again. 

Unfortunately that wasn’t what came out.

“Sammi! You can see me now! I think you can anyway. Ok, you jumped when I poofed in so I’m guessing you can. I thought so cause Flynn...I’m not sure what changed but...ta da! Ok, I’m rambling...I just...I was so scared Caleb would hurt you but you were so brave...and I’m sorry if this is weird or I’m not saying the right thing or…”

His words were cut off as Sammi launched herself into his arms, hers coming up to wrap tightly around his neck. 

Reggie hugged her back just as fiercely, feeling happy tears burning at his eyes. 

“Hi, big brother,” Sammi whispered in his ear, her voice choked with tears as well. 

Reggie gave her another squeeze. 

“This is nice,” He said.

He said it out loud and this time he absolutely meant to. 

* * *

Josie was generally a person who prided herself on being pretty laid back and able to roll with the punches life threw at her. She had to admit though, standing next to Trevor Wilson after having escaped the clutches of an evil magician ghost with a love for musical numbers was a lot.

The various ghost and human reunions taking place around the room weren’t exactly helping to normalize the situation. Especially when her little cousin was locked in a passionate kiss within her line of sight. She was letting them have their moment but she was also keeping an eye on them. Luke may be a ghost, didn’t mean he could get handsy.

She turned to her side where Trevor looked to be struggling with the situation almost as much as she was. 

“So...you can see and hear ghosts?”

Trevor shrugged.

“Seems like all of us can now. At least these ghosts.”

“Good point,” Josie shook her head. “Did they recruit you for your psychic abilities or what?”

“They were my bandmates when they were alive,” He said, his voice still deceptively calm. “And yeah, they knew I could communicate with them. You?”

“Julie’s cousin,” Josie supplied, matching his nonchalant attitude. “And they knew I would kick anyone’s ass who tried to hurt her.”

Trevor nodded and they lapsed into another moment of awkward silence.

“So...is it true you have a helicopter with your face on it?”

“Not my proudest purchase.”

“Own it, Trevor. Own it.”

* * *

Alex hardly had time to realize that he wasn’t dead...well, he was still dead but he wasn’t dead dead, and ask what had happened when Luke and Reggie were both poofing out. 

“Rude,” He muttered, shaking his limbs out both to check that they were all still there and try to disperse some of the tingly feeling running through them. 

He took a quick look around the room just in time to see Flynn take a swing at Dante with her bat. 

“Huh, guess there was one ghost dumb enough not to poof out in time.” He observed. 

He glanced over at the one other remaining ghost who hadn’t poofed out, who also happened to be grinning at him.

Willie.

Alex definitely didn’t blush under the skateboarder’s stare. He just took on a slightly red tone to his ghost complexion. Totally different.

“What?”

“Julie did it,” Willie said, his voice full of joy and awe. “He’s gone. I can feel it. I’m not tied to him anymore. I’m free, Alex.”

Sudden realization washed over Alex and he practically leapt to his feet as Willie stood too.

“You’re free?”

“I’m free.”

“Oh my god.”

Alex didn’t know what to do with himself. He had spent so long telling himself all the reasons he and Willie couldn’t be together, all the ways it was impossible and how much Willie would suffer for even trying. The thoughts had run on a constant loop in his head for months reminding him over and over that what he wanted wasn’t something he could ever have. 

Only now what he wanted, who he wanted, was standing right in front of him and he was free and…

“Stop thinking so hard, Hotdog.”

Alex shook his head even as a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. 

“I know, you’re right. It’s just thinking too hard is kind of my thing and…”

But maybe it wasn’t his only thing because then Willie’s smile was suddenly a lot closer, and his hands were on his face and their lips were connecting and then…

Alex wasn’t thinking anything at all. 

He didn’t think anything at all for several minutes and that was something he could get used to. 

* * *

Trevor had spent most of the ride back to his house in a semi-stunned silence. It wasn’t that he was still shocked at the existence of the supernatural, he had seen too much at this point for that to be true. But he had never expected to be so directly swept up in it. So now he was accepting Josie’s very kind offer to drop him off in a contemplative silence. 

“Guys...is my phone lying to me or has it only been twenty minutes since we went in there?” Flynn asked, startling him out of his thoughts.

“What? No way. That felt like way longer,” Sammi protested.

“Time must move differently in magical ghost clubs,” Julie shrugged, apparently taking this last bit of weirdness in stride. 

“Your dad probably isn’t even back from Carlos’ game yet,” Josie said.

“Uh, good cause we still have to clean up the kitchen after that jerk’s little poltergeist act.”

“The little jerk you absolutely annihilated with a bat earlier, Flynn?” Nick asked.

“Wait, who did you hit with a bat?” Julie demanded.

“Never mind,” Flynn dismissed with a wave of her hand. “The question is are we still going to homecoming tonight?”

“I guess so,” Julie shrugged. “I feel more energized than I have in months. Plus you have a date.”

“And we can’t miss Carrie’s totally earned performance,” Flynn said sarcastically before glancing over at Trevor. “No offense.”

Trevor didn’t bother responding to the girl's comment. 

Carrie. 

He felt an overwhelming surge of emotion at the thought of his daughter. He had come so close to never seeing her again. He didn’t regret his choice to go to the club. He loved Julie, for her own sake and for her mother’s, and he loved the boys too. He would put himself beside them in harm's way a hundred times over even if he was a bit of a coward at heart. 

He wanted to fix that though. He wanted to fix a lot of things. 

He had spent most of his life more or less frozen in the same mindset he was in on that day at the Orpheum when he was 17, pretentious and convinced that love was a simple, black and white thing. 

He had learned over the years that his point of view had been wrong but he hadn’t really let himself feel it. Not really. 

And he was starting to realize that his efforts to protect his daughter from anything that could hurt her had done more damage than good. He had seen her tendency to lash out when hurt , had seen the way she never allowed anyone too close. He should have helped her get past those instincts but instead he had ignored them. Because ever since he lost his best friends they were his instincts too. 

But no more.

When Josie dropped him off at his mansion he ignored the strange looks from his security and hurried inside.

“Carrie!” 

“What?” She answered, her tone annoyed as she emerged from another room. “You know it takes me a solid 8 hours to prepare for an event. I have to start working on my hair and…”

Trevor interrupted her rant by pulling her into a tight hug. He held her tightly against him and rocked them back and forth for a moment, feeling her resistance fade away before he finally pulled back. 

“What’s wrong? Did someone die or something?” She asked her face a mixture of confusion and concern. 

He chuckled and shook his head, bringing one hand up to trace gently at his daughter’s cheek. 

“Yeah. Someone did. 25 years ago.” 

Carrie’s face scrunched up and she examined him critically.

“Dad, are you feeling ok? Should we call your therapist?”

“I’m fine. I just love you so much. You know that, don’t you?”

Carrie seemed unsure how to respond to his unexpected sincerity. 

“I guess. Are you sure you’re ok?”

“I’m fine. But I want to tell you something. You may not understand this right now but I want you to really hear it, ok?”

Carrie hesitated but finally nodded.

Trevor took a deep breath before continuing.

“You haven’t had it easy, Carrie. I wasn’t always around and your mom...I know that was hard.” 

Carrie turned her head to look away but he gently guided it back to face him. 

“She wasn’t ready to be a mom and I know that will always hurt, but baby...she gave me the most amazing gift and I will always be grateful for that. Always. And sometimes I showed that in the wrong ways by giving you material things or not telling you when you were wrong.”

Carrie sniffled, tears starting to build behind her eyes. 

“And that’s on me. Because I understand what it’s like to be angry about all the things life has taken from you. And because I know that lashing out or pretending nothing can hurt you can feel like the only way to deal with that. Trust me it’s not.”

Her tears finally escaped and he reached up to wipe them gently away. 

“You can choose to love despite the fact that it hurts sometimes. You are my beautiful, talented, amazing daughter and you’re capable of that. I know you are. I love you.” 

He pulled her into another fierce hug and finally felt like he could let the 17 year old Bobby go now. 

He would be ok. 

They all would. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t mind me I’ll just be over here in the corner crying over how if this really was the show I would totally have a “ghost”’of 17 year old Bobby watching that last scene and “crossing over”. 😭😭😭💜


	42. Definitely good weird

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a little bite sized chapter to bridge between the adventures at Caleb’s club and homecoming. I hope you will enjoy the sweet moments anyway. 💜

“Last stop!” Josie called out as the car pulled up in front of Julie’s house. 

Sammi had managed to spend the car ride back to Julie’s house chatting with the others and not obsessing about the fact that in the last few hours her entire view of reality had shifted. She was pretty proud of that even if she knew there was probably at least a mild mental breakdown in her future. She would face that when it came and then bounce back. 

She was nothing if not resilient. 

Still, the shock was starting to settle in again now that she was facing the prospect of getting into her car and driving home. 

They had already dropped off Trevor and Julie’s friend Nick and the ghost members of the party had poofed home and were waiting for them in Julie’s driveway. 

She felt a thrill at seeing her brother standing there even though she had already seen him once. She didn’t think that was going to get old anytime soon. She couldn’t get over how he looked exactly how she remembered him. Or how she thought she remembered him. It was hard to tell which memories were real and which were stolen from photographs. It didn’t matter though. They had time to make new memories now. 

Julie and Flynn were piling out of the backseat, Julie taking the time to lean in through Josie’s open window and give her cousin a fierce hug before joining the others in the driveway. 

Sammi reached down to pick up the slightly deformed pink box that still rested by her feet. 

She hesitated for a moment and then held it out towards Josie who raised an eyebrow and gave her a crooked smile. 

“Here, you should take these. They’re a little crushed after we somehow managed to squeeze 6 people in this car but they’ll still taste great.””

Josie took the box from her and smiled wider, raising the lid to take a peek inside. 

“Thanks, croissant girl. Maybe I’ll come check out your bakery sometime. We’re practically family now, right?”

“I’m not sure that’s how that works,” Sammi chuckled. “But I will be very happy to welcome fellow ghost protection squad members anytime.” 

She gave a half awkward wave and got out of the car, Josie pulling away soon after.

She walked right into the middle of another truly strange conversation. 

“We cleaned the kitchen but we poofed out here when your dad and Carlos got home.” Luke was informing the girls.

“That’s right...this is going to be a lot harder if you’re visible to everyone all the time now.” Julie frowned.

“Ok, we need to run a quick test,” Flynn said decisively. “See if you can make yourselves invisible again.”

The guys exchanged a look before shrugging and concentrating for a moment. Then they did exactly what asked, blinking out of sight. At least for most of them.

“Can you see them? Did it work?” Julie asked curiously. 

“Nope, I can’t see them and honestly it’s a little unsettling,” Sammi confirmed.

They popped back into sight and exchanged high fives.

“This is the best!”’ Reggie said enthusiastically. “We can be seen when we want to and still do all our cool ghost pranks.”

“You're the only one who does ghost pranks,” Alex muttered. “And “cool” is really questionable.” 

“Ok, well, I’d better get in there before my dad starts wondering where I am,” Julie glanced between the four ghosts in front of her. “And I guess you guys can come if you want just...please stay invisible in front of my dad ok?”

They all nodded though Sammi noticed Reggie’s was a little reluctant. 

Julie turned to Sammi and pulled her into a tight hug.

“Thank you so much for coming to save me. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Reggie.”

Sammi pulled the younger girl even closer and gave her a gentle squeeze. 

“Look after that brother of mine and we’ll call it even, ok?” She whispered in Julie’s ear.

Julie pulled back and offered her a smile and a nod. 

She turned to go in the house with Flynn in tow. Luke popped out of sight and presumably followed the girls inside. 

“We’ll be in the garage,” Alex told Reggie, clapping his friend on the shoulder in silent support before he and Willie also poofed out of sight.

Reggie gave her a genuine if slightly awkward smile. She understood his mixed emotions.

They had their first joyous, emotion filled reunion out of the way. Now they had to figure out what they actually were to each other.

Sammi took a couple of steps closer to her brother. 

“So...this is weird,” She said honestly, softening the impact of her words with a small smile.

“Good weird or bad weird?” Reggie asked nervously.

“Definitely good weird.”

That got her a blinding smile.

“What about you? Are you...disappointed to see me like this? I know I’m not exactly the sister you remember.”

Reggie shook his head fiercely.

“I could never be disappointed. You’re amazing, Sammi.” 

She pulled her little, big brother into another hug trying to infuse all of her feelings into it. They still had a long way to go to make up for lost time and deal with everything that had changed since they last saw each other. 

But she couldn’t be anything but grateful for the opportunity to figure it out.

* * *

As soon as Julie stepped into the house her dad and Carlos were talking over each other by way of noisy greeting.

“Girls, you missed an absolutely top notch game of baseball!” Her dad announced.

“The catcher dropped the ball and I was safe this time!” Carlos agreed, holding his arms up as if waiting for applause. 

Flynn took pity on him and gave him a couple of quick claps. 

Julie couldn’t help but be slightly amused at the differences in the victories that had been had that day but mostly she was just so glad to see her family. 

“That’s great, Carlos!” She told him sincerely, crossing the room and pulling him into an aggressive hug. “I’m so happy for you.”

Carlos pulled back from the hug and examined her face suspiciously.

“You look like you feel...good.”

Julie knew what he was really asking underneath his statement and her heart swelled with love for her ridiculous, annoying, amazing brother. 

“I do. I feel great.”

She didn’t miss the look of relief on his face before he pulled her into another hug.

“Look at you two!” Ray gushed, looking around the room frantically. “Who’s seen my phone? I have to get a picture of this.”

Julie and Carlos both rolled their eyes but neither of them protested as Ray snapped a picture. Julie stepped away from Carlos and wrapped her arms tightly around her dad’s middle, closing her eyes for a moment and just taking in the warmth and comfort she thought she had lost forever.

Her dad returned her hug, his surprise clear.

“You ok, mija?”

She pulled back and looked up at him, just taking him in for a moment.

“I’m good. Really, really good.”

He smiled and placed a hand affectionately on the top of her head.

“Big night tonight! Don’t you girls have to give each other facials or something?”

“That’s a little sexist, Ray. But also, yes.”

Julie exchanged what she hoped was a subtle look with Luke. He seemed as amused by Flynn and her family’s antics as she was. 

“But first can we get some food because it has been a long morning.”

Ray seemed excited by Flynn’s request, leading her over to the fridge to show her the options. Flynn looked back and nodded towards the stairs.

“Head on up, Jules. I’ll bring it up.”

Flynn really was a best friend she would never stop being grateful for. Not only had she rounded up a crew to come rescue her from an evil ghost but she was giving her a few minutes alone with her...what? Ghostly boyfriend? That was a lot. But Flynn was incredible and that didn’t need any further definition.

As she and Luke headed up the stairs she heard voices of her loved ones echoing up from below.

“Is that my bat?”

“I’ll get you another one, Carlos. This one and I have history.”

Julie shared a grin with Luke. These little moments felt exquisitely beautiful and she felt so strong and everything really was so, so good. It was a feeling she could get used to.

Once they were in her room Luke immediately collapsed on to her bed but Julie stayed standing. The zipped up garment bag holding her dress for that night seemed to be calling to her so she approached it and ran a finger gently over the plastic. 

Luke sat up slightly and nodded in its direction. 

“That’s your dress for tonight?”

She nodded, fiddling with the zipper before turning to face him more fully.

“Do you think...never mind.”

“No, what is it?” He asked gently yet insistently.

“Well, you can be seen by other people now. I just thought...you might want to go. It would be a chance to try out your new ability.” 

A slow smirk spread across his face.

“Julie Molina...are you asking me to go to homecoming with you?”

She immediately shook her head, not wanting to let him have the satisfaction even though that was exactly what she had been trying to do.

“I meant all of you. It’s been a rough day. I figure the whole gang could use a field trip.” 

Luke had stood and was making his way towards her by this point. 

“Oh, so you want to go to homecoming with four ghosts, huh?”

“I mean...yes,” She tried even though she knew she wasn’t fooling anyone.

“Hmmm,” He hummed, taking her hands in his and fiddling with her fingers in an incredibly distracting way. “Too bad. Cause I would have loved to take you.” 

“You could...if you want to, we could...that,” Julie stuttered out. 

How was it possible that he still made her nervous after everything? 

He chuckled and reached up to tip her chin up so she had no choice but to look at him.

“I would love to go to homecoming with you, Julie.”

“Good. Because I think it will be a fun time and we have a lot to celebrate and…”

He cut her off by pressing his lips softly to hers and after that she didn’t say anything until Flynn stumbled upon them several minutes later.

“Ok, new rule. If you’re going to make out, and please try to pace yourselves, it has to be when he’s visible to more than just you cause this is weird.” 

Julie laughed.

She couldn’t deny that. All of this was very, very weird. 

And she wouldn’t change a thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flynn really deserves a medal and a massage or something.
> 
> And she’s totally keeping the bat lol.


	43. Mic drops and demon queens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We made it to our first homecoming chapter! This is so exciting. It’s our first chapter that takes place at the dance but not the last so if you don’t like everything that happens just give me a chance to redeem myself, ok? 
> 
> I’m also going to take this opportunity to answer a few frequently asked questions I’m getting in the comments. 
> 
> IS THIS THE LAST CHAPTER?
> 
> No. I will make sure you know when it’s the last chapter. I estimate we have 3 chapters and an epilogue left.
> 
> WILL YOU WRITE MORE JATP STORIES? 
> 
> Yes, definitely. Which leads me to...
> 
> WILL THERE BE A SEQUEL/SEASON 3?
> 
> Yes, the plan is to do my version of season 3 following on directly from this story. That being said I can’t even think about that too hard right now. I think it will be way better for keeping my creativity flowing to write something unrelated in between and then come back to it. BUT I will be writing another JATP story very soon. My plan is to take a week or so off to work on an outline and you know...sleep or something lol. Then I’ll be back. 
> 
> WHAT WILL YOUR NEXT STORY BE ABOUT? 
> 
> No one actually asked this, I’m just excited about it lol. It will follow the plot of the show right up until the end of the last episode. What if Julie hadn’t been able to save the guys and they actually were jolted out of existence? What if there was a way to save them but it involved traveling back in time to stop them from dying in the first place? What if it was full of literary references no one asked for?? 😂 If this appeals to you stay tuned. 
> 
> WILL THIS STORY END ON A CLIFFHANGER? 
> 
> Yes and no. It is my version of season 2 and you saw how they ended season 1. All of the major plots have just about been wrapped up as you read this so hopefully you trust me to know it won’t be a “someone is dying” type of cliffhanger. But there will be a little something at the end of the epilogue that hopefully leaves you amused and only mildly frustrated. We’ll see. 
> 
> Ok that’s enough talking. Enjoy the chapter!

Flynn was nervous. 

She knew she looked good. That wasn’t vanity, it was the assessment of Julie, Ray and all of the ghost boys. She figured at least one of them would tell her if she looked tragic. Probably Alex. From what Julie said he was the type to show his love through cutting comments. 

She could appreciate that. That was sort of her style as well. She was looking forward to getting to know the boys better now that she could actually see and hear them. Funny how helpful those things were to forming deeper friendships. 

But right now what she was really looking forward to was meeting up with Brad and moving on from the pre-date jitters part of the evening to the dancing the night away as a power couple portion. 

Julie was looking stunning in a red dress that flared out just above her knees in wide pleats that gave it movement as she walked. The top had thin halter straps and a silky texture that caught the light, managing to look magical even under streetlights. Even the guys had done their best to dress up with their admittedly limited options. Luke was wearing a purple button-up shirt and dark jeans, Reggie had abandoned his leather jacket for the evening and was wearing a flannel open over his t-shirt and Alex was wearing a pink sweater he had pulled out of somewhere. Even Willie had twisted his hair up in a bun for the occasion. 

Flynn for her part had gone with a two piece look, a cropped, shimmery blue top that left just an inch of her stomach on display over the matching body hugging skirt. She wore black tights underneath and had recruited Julie to twist part of her hair up with a sparkling clip. 

The outfit had seemed perfect when she picked it out but now she was starting to wish she had gone with something a little less exposed. 

She tugged anxiously at her top, adjusting her outfit for the hundredth time as they paused outside of the school to go over strategy one last time. 

“So what do you say if anyone asks what you’re doing here?” Julie was addressing her bandmates.

“We’re ghosts who just recently gained the ability to be visible and thought we’d test it out on a bunch of unsuspecting teenagers.” 

Julie folded her arms and glared at Alex as Willie elbowed him in the side.

“I’m kidding!” Alex held up his hands in surrender.

“We’re on a break from school so we took a vacation to come hang out with our long distance bandmate,” Reggie supplied. 

“Yes! Thank you, Reggie.” She shot Alex another warning look.

“Was it something I said?” Alex feigned innocence. 

“We got it, Jules. Promise.” Luke stepped forward to put a reassuring hand on her arm. 

She visibly relaxed and Flynn found herself feeling slightly jealous of the obvious effect they had on each other. She was so happy for her best friend, awkward air kissing moments aside, but she wished she knew what it felt like to be so sure of someone’s feelings for you. 

Well, that was the point of tonight’s date, right? Not all of them could have perfect ghost boys sent to them from literal heaven. She had to start somewhere. 

Julie turned to her and gave her friend an assessing look. 

“You ready?” 

Flynn took a deep breath and nodded. 

Julie reached out and gave her hand a squeeze. 

“Just remember any guy would be lucky to dance next to you.” She told Flynn firmly.

Flynn nodded, sparing one more glance for their newly solid ghost companions. Luke was keeping his eyes on Julie which wasn’t surprising. Alex and Willie were both nodding supportively which she appreciated. Reggie on the other hand was frowning at his shoes. 

She couldn’t exactly blame him. Everyone else was paired off or about to be. It wasn’t exactly an ideal first night out as a more or less real person. She fought down the guilt she felt at his somewhat dejected expression. It wasn’t her fault both of his friends were head over heels for someone and she had no doubt he would be able to charm one of the girls from her school within five minutes if he wanted to. 

She definitely did  _ not  _ feel a small wave of irritation wash over her at that idea. Nope. 

After one more nod from Flynn indicating she was ready to go in, Julie linked hands with Luke and led the way into the school. Flynn followed close behind with the rest of the guys trailing after her. They attracted a few stares from people as soon as they stepped inside. Julie and the Phantoms were well known and popular amongst the other students by this point after all and here were the holograms suddenly turning up in the flesh. Flynn ignored the scattered whispers and stepped forward to speak to the girl from the dance committee manning the ticket taking table. 

They had originally considered just having the guys poof into the bathroom or something to get around the fact that they weren’t students and didn’t have tickets but Julie had clearly wanted to have the full “human guy” date experience. So Flynn had made a few calls and managed to secure last minute tickets for them. She was pretty persuasive when she wanted to be. 

Once they had checked in Flynn turned her attention to searching the entryway for the guy who was supposed to meet her there. She felt a brief moment of panic at the idea that she would be stood up again. 

It was short lived though.

“Flynn!”

She turned her head to the right and caught sight of Brad striding towards her, a wide smile on his face. She had to admit he looked good. 

As soon as he reached her side he grabbed one of her hands and tugged until she spun in a slow circle.

“Looking stunning as always,” He told her once she was facing him again. “Ready to hit the dance floor?”

“Uh, yeah,” Flynn answered glancing back at her friends.

Julie gave her a thumbs up and the guys shot her encouraging smiles, Reggie’s still slightly strained.

Flynn turned back to Brad and gave himwhat she hoped was a minimally shaky smile before letting him lead her into the gym. They pushed their way towards the middle of the dance floor and she had to admit the dance committee had really taken things up a notch from the lackluster balloon arch she had been responsible for at the underclassman dance. There were twinkle lights galore and the atmosphere was just about as romantic as a gym usually full of sweaty kids could be.

She had hoped they would spend the evening talking and getting to know each other better but Brad didn’t seem to be in a chatty mood. She couldn’t say he wasn’t attentive though. They danced to song after song and he rarely took his eyes off of her. Maybe his anxiety was kicking in again or maybe he was just more a man of action than words. In any case, Flynn was enjoying the feeling of dancing with a cute boy while wearing a pretty outfit even if part of her wished he was spending a little more time trying to make her laugh and a little less time spinning her in circles.

Eventually Flynn was ready for a break. Dancing was tiring and she wanted to check in on Julie and the guys. It was their first outing since they could become visible at will and she figured they were either having the time of their lives or freaking out by this point. Possibly both.

“I’m going to find my friends real fast,” Flynn told Brad, leaning in close to be heard over the music. “Meet back here in ten minutes?”

Brad frowned. 

“They’re going to announce the King and Queen soon,” He said. “My friend Zach is up for it. And then Dirty Candy is performing.”

“Well, like I said, I’ll be back soon.” 

Flynn wasn’t sure why he was so set on her not going to look for Julie but she didn’t really care. She was having a nice enough time with Brad, if a little lacking in conversation, but she knew what she wanted and right now that was to check in with her best friend.

Just then the voice of one of the senior’s on the dance committee filtered through the room, amplified by a microphone.

“Ok, Bobcats! It’s time to announce your King and Queen!”

“Come on,” Brad grabbed Flynn’s hand and started pulling her towards the front of the crowd. “Let’s get closer.”

Flynn stumbled along after him, less than thrilled to be dragged across the room. She supposed it was oddly sweet that he was so invested in his friend’s prospects in the competition but she wasn’t sure why that justified manhandling her. When they finally reached the front of the crowd Flynn stumbled to a stop just as the names of the winners were being announced. The Queen was a senior girl Flynn didn’t know and the King did turn out to be Brad’s friend Zach. This wasn’t exactly a surprising turn of events given he was a senior who played just about every sport (including lacrosse thus his friendship with Brad). 

Everything seemed to be going normal until they handed Zach the microphone to make his speech. Why on earth winning homecoming king warranted hearing your thoughts on literally anything, Flynn couldn’t say. But that thought was quickly replaced by confusion once Zach started speaking. 

“Instead of making a speech I’m going to hand the mic to my friend Brad who has a message for a very special girl.”

Flynn felt her heart start to pound as Brad shot her a smile before tugging her by the hand and hurrying them both to climb onto the stage. He took the mic and Flynn struggled against the urge to melt under the crowd’s scrutiny. She enjoyed a big, public gesture as much as anyone but enough was enough. He already had her here and had barely made an effort to make the most of that fact. Surely he didn’t need to get them up on stage and make any more declarations.

“I came here tonight with a very specific goal and that was to make sure the girl I like knows I would do anything for her. I would do anything for her friends and I would do anything  _ to  _ her enemies.”

Flynn felt a sinking feeling settle in her gut.

This did  _ not  _ feel like the kind of love confession she wanted to be a part of. What high school girl had enemies? Well, up until earlier today Julie had but Flynn figured possession happy ghosts were an exception. 

By the time she had tuned back into Brad’s speech, she regretted ever finding that note in her locker.

“And her name is...Carrie Wilson.”

Flynn heard a scattering of gasps from the crowd and saw Carrie pushing her way to the front. This couldn’t be happening. 

“Flynn, I’m sorry you got all dressed up for nothing but I hope you can take a joke. That’s what this whole secret admirer thing was...a joke. I’m sure you’re a nice girl but you really shouldn’t be so gullible. It’s not like a guy like me would really want to date a girl like you.”

Flynn could hear people discussing the unfolding situation in whispers that all taken together were actually quite loud but she could still barely make out their voices over the sudden rushing in her ears. Her face felt impossibly hot and she was struggling not to let the tears burning behind her eyes escape. She didn’t look at Carrie but she could only imagine how smug she looked. 

She finally regained the use of her previously frozen feet and fled, making it down two of the stage steps before stopping short. 

A sudden rush of realization hit her.

She had no reason to run away. 

She had spent the morning risking her life to save her friend from someone truly evil. Brad wasn’t even in the same league as Caleb and she had faced him down head on. Part of her wished she had brought her bat.

“You know what? No!” Flynn announced loudly before spinning on her heels and stalking back over to Brad. 

She reached out and yanked the microphone from his hands. 

“I’m not sure what gave you the idea that humiliating someone who did nothing to you was the way to get a girl’s attention. I’m not sure why you would want to be with a girl that would appeal to. Maybe she put you up to it, who knows. But either way what I do know is none of this says anything at all about me but it says a  _ hell of a lot  _ about you. So the way I see it I have nothing to be embarrassed about. You on the other hand…”

Flynn held out the mic as though she were handing it back to a rather stunned looking Brad. He held out his hand to receive it but instead Flynn dropped it to the stage, a squeal emitting from the speakers. 

There was a moment of silence before the crowd broke out into applause and a few cheers. Flynn ignored it for the most part as she made her way off the stage and pushed through the people between her and the exit. It did feel pretty good to clearly have the support of at least the majority of people there though. Just not as good as having a date who hadn’t asked her out in some sick bid to get Carrie’s attention would have felt.

Flynn finally made it to the side of the gym and stepped out into the hall. Word of what had just transpired had clearly travelled incredibly fast because a few people called out messages of support as she hurried away from the commotion of the dance. She gave grateful smiles to everyone who spoke to her but didn’t stop moving until she made it to the empty hallway where her locker was. 

Flynn could still picture it covered in roses. That couldn’t have been cheap. She took some small measure of comfort in the fact that Brad had wasted a lot of money on his whole plan. She hoped dating Carrie was worth it. She couldn’t imagine it would be. 

She had barely slid to the floor in front of her locker when Julie appeared at the other end of the hall. She saw her friend’s sigh of relief when Julie spotted her and she quickly made her way to Flynn’s side, sinking onto the floor next to her. 

“You’re going to mess up your dress!” Flynn protested but Julie just waved a hand dismissively.

“I don’t care about that. Flynn...I’m so sorry. Are you ok?”

Flynn considered her answer for a moment before speaking. She hadn’t had time to really take stock of her emotions before but now that the adrenaline was wearing off she came to a quick, and somewhat surprising conclusion. 

“Actually...yeah. I’m fine.”

Julie eyed her skeptically and Flynn couldn’t blame her. This wasn’t quite that horror movie they watched last Halloween where that girl ended up covered in pig’s blood at prom but it was still pretty far down the list of ideal dance scenarios. But she meant what she said on that stage. She wasn’t the one who had something to be ashamed of. There was also the fact that even before what she was coming to think of as “the incident” she had already been realizing she felt a grand total of nothing for Brad when it came to romance. 

“I mean it,” She assured her friend. “I needed some space for a minute but...even before I realized he was a jerk I had realized he was kind of boring. I think I liked the idea of him more than I actually liked him. Does that make sense?”

Julie shook her head and grinned.

“Is that a real question? You’re talking to the girl who obsessed over Nick for years without actually talking to him and then turned him down as soon as he actually asked me out.”

“True. But you also had your one true love who happened to be dead turn up so that’s a complicating factor,” Flynn teased. “Where is the squad by the way?” 

“I left them in the gym,” Julie said, her expression giving away that she was at least slightly worried about having left them unsupervised. “I figured you might want some privacy. They were so angry for you though. Reggie may or may not have gone ghost and tripped Brad right off the stage.”

Flynn’s eyebrows shot to the top of her forehead.

“That’s not good, right?” She asked, already envisioning someone having seen him poof out or spreading the rumor the school was haunted. 

Julie shrugged, a mischievous smile tugging at her lips.

“It felt pretty good to me, I’m not going to lie.”

“Where were the teachers anyway?” Flynn asked. “Please tell me he’s going to get tripped by a ghost and suspended tonight.”

“Someone set off a bunch of car alarms in the parking lot right before,” Julie rolled her eyes. “Probably not a coincidence.”

Flynn shook her head but smiled as she did so. It was really more funny than anything at this point. 

“There really is no justice in the world.”

Julie returned her smile but only briefly. 

“But seriously, Flynn. Are you sure you’re ok? We can go home if you want.”

Flynn reached out and squeezed Julie’s hand. 

“Thank you, but really, I’m ok. I’m more disappointed I let myself consider someone as an option who likes the demon queen herself.”

“Is that supposed to refer to me?”

Both Flynn and Julie’s heads swiveled to the left at record speeds at the sound of the voice asking that question in a less than impressed tone. 

She didn’t need visual confirmation as to the speaker’s identity, not when that voice was so often used to throw insults their way, but she got it anyway. Carrie was wearing a black dress, the skirt covered entirely in sequins that somehow managed to shift and change in color even under the incredibly unflattering fluorescent lights of the hallway. She was also wearing a deep frown and if her crossed arms were any indication she wasnt exactly thrilled with that nickname.

Flynn sighed. They just really couldn’t catch a break. Oh well. They had already defeated one villain that day.

So why did she have a sinking feeling that the one standing in front of her now was going to put up more of a fight?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...yeah. I know a lot of you thought Brad was tied in with Caleb but it was important to me to show that sometimes in life you come up against evil ghosts...and sometimes people are just jerks. Brad is the latter.


	44. Something else

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of your take downs of Brad in the comments warm my heart and keep me laughing so thanks for that. 
> 
> It’s time for Carrie to have her say. I hope you will enjoy this peek into her mind. I think she’s a complicated character who seems very one dimensional on the surface. 
> 
> Two more homecoming chapters and the epilogue to go. Don’t mind me getting super emotional about getting to the end of my outline for this story.

Carrie was having a weird day. 

First her dad had come home and insisted they have a heart to heart in the entranceway. Actually, heart to heart was an understatement. It had been more like what the family therapist he used to drag her to would call a “breakthrough moment”. That therapist had charged upwards of $400 an hour and yet had never managed to bring about a “breakthrough moment” for Carrie and her dad. So she had to wonder exactly where he had been and what he had been doing to make him so reflective about himself and his daughter. 

He was very vague about where he had been that morning. In fact he flat out refused to tell her when asked. He would only say that he had been helping some old friends and it made him realize that life was short and they shouldn’t waste anymore time. 

And the thing was...Carrie had been fully prepared to roll her eyes and brush off whatever her father had to say. She had a dance to get ready for and a performance besides, she didn’t have time for one of his weird moods. But it wasn’t so easy to ignore how sincere his eyes had been or how he insisted she could be living a much better life than the one she was living.

It wasn’t easy to ignore because she knew that better than anyone. 

She acted like she was the best because she felt like she was the worst. The one who nobody ever chose, who was always left behind or overlooked unless she was demanding they pay attention to her. And that was effective in getting people to look. It wasn’t effective in getting them to love her. 

The few who had possibly actually cared at one point...her dad, Julie, Nick...had all been pushed away eventually. Some had been shoved aside on purpose and some had drifted away on their own when they couldn’t take her attitude anymore. And she wasn’t stupid. She  _ knew  _ that was the case and ultimately she  _ knew  _ that was on her. What she didn’t know was how to fix it. Because after spending the last 5 years telling herself everyone else was out to get her she had started to believe it. She didn’t know how to approach anyone from a neutral place anymore.

Everyone either worshipped her without actually knowing her or hated her without actually knowing her and the end result was just her alone either way. 

She knew all of this. Deep down she knew it. That’s why in her brief moment of honesty by the pool she had admitted to Julie that enemies was all she knew how for them to be. That’s why even though she had felt a rush of pride for her former friend after she bared her soul at the Orpheum, Carrie still couldn’t bring herself to tell Julie she was amazing.

So when her dad showed up, emotional and insistent, telling her that she was amazing and capable of love if she just stopped lashing out and started letting people in...that had been a lot.

She may have cried a little though she would deny it if anyone asked. Which they wouldn’t. Because no one ever asked her anything personal. Not since she and Nick broke up anyway. And she hadn’t usually answered him honestly to begin with. 

So by the time Carrie actually made it to homecoming she wasn’t exactly at her best. Her friends’ attempts to convince her to dance were met with only a shake of the head or a snappy response when the former didn’t suffice. She spent most of the first half of the dance leaning against the wall near the refreshment table, offering her best fake smile to anyone who looked in her direction. She wasn’t even paying particularly close attention when they began announcing the King and Queen. It always went to seniors so she didn’t have the incentive of thinking her own name might be called.

Only...suddenly someone was calling her name. 

Drowning in confusion, Carrie pushed her way to the front of the crowd, stopping short at the edge of the stage. Nick’s teammate Brad was holding the mic while Flynn stood next to him looking increasingly horrified and Carrie couldn’t blame her. 

Was he seriously saying that he had pretended to like Flynn just so he could humiliate her and somehow impress Carrie in the process? 

_ That  _ was his big plan? 

She didn’t have long to contemplate how truly dumb boys were before Flynn was snatching the mic from Brad’s hand and making a speech Carrie had to admit was pretty impressive.

She particularly enjoyed the part where Flynn pointed out how ridiculous Brad’s entire plan had been. She was less a fan of the part where Flynn insinuated that Carrie herself might be behind the whole thing.

She wasn’t above tearing someone else down publically. It would be silly to deny it when not long ago she had stood on this very stage and announced that Julie was choking directly into a microphone. 

But for all the things Carrie was, even the ones she wasn’t proud of, there were a few that she very much wasn’t. One of them was a liar. If she had ever pointed out someone was making a mistake or doing something stupid she truly believed it to be the case. She wasn’t often nice but that didn’t mean she was  _ wrong.  _ The other thing she most definitely wasn’t was a coward. She had no problem standing up to those she didn’t like or thought got undeserved attention. She fought her own battles and she certainly didn’t need some guy inserting himself and trying to impress her by making someone else feel bad about themselves.

Flynn was annoying and loud and despite her reputation for telling it like it is spent a lot of time shielding Julie from hard truths Carrie thought she needed to grow up and face. 

But she didn’t deserve  _ this.  _

Carrie would tell Flynn exactly what she thought about her every day of the week and Flynn would do the same back to her. There was a kind of fairness and grudging respect in that, an unspoken girl code governing their battles of wits.

So Brad was really annoying Carrie on a day when she definitely didn’t need to be pushed any farther. 

But there was more to it than that too. Underneath all of the annoyance and the detached displeasure, the part of Carrie that had cried in front of her dad earlier, was insistently reminding her that the truth was she just didn’t want Flynn to be hurt like this. 

She didn’t want anyone to feel as low and insecure as she did on a regular basis. 

So when Flynn stomped off the stage and towards the exit, Carrie turned her best glare on Brad as he started towards the stage stairs. He didn’t seem phased by her sour expression and kept his eyes locked on her as he reached the first step. 

Then suddenly he was tripping over seemingly nothing and tumbling down the stairs, landing in a heap near Carrie’s feet. Laughter broke out among the nearby students and Carrie raised one eyebrow as Brad looked up to check her reaction. By the time he had heaved himself to his feet, Carrie had crossed her arms and knew she looked even less welcoming than before. Good.

“What was that?” She demanded.

“Uh, I must have tripped,” Brad said quickly, wincing as he gripped the elbow that had made contact with the floor. “Did you like it?”

Carrie stared at the boy before her incredulously. 

She had said it before and she would say it again... _ boys were dumb _ . 

“By it do you mean what you just did to Flynn? Of course not. Did you really think I would?”

Brad frowned. That was a yes then. 

“You were always complaining to Nick about Julie and Flynn and how much you hated them. You guys broke up because he was obsessed with them right? So what better way to show you I could do what he couldn’t and help you take them down once and for all!”

Carrie rolled her eyes.

“Take them down? What do you think I am a super villain? I never asked for your help and by the way I would never do something like this.” 

Now it was Brad’s turn to roll his eyes and Carrie did not like that. She did not like that at all. 

“Come on, Carrie. You know as well as I do that the Carrie I like would have loved this. And she was a lot more fun too apparently. Where’s the cool girl everybody knows?” 

“You tell me,” Carrie scoffed, stepping forward to jab a finger into Brad’s chest. “You know what, forget it. You’re right. That Carrie might have liked this. But I’m not her. And this is not cool. It’s pathetic.”

With that she spun on her heels and headed for the back of the gym ignoring the stares from the people she passed. She didn’t get applause like Flynn had but she was pretty sure she wasn’t getting judgemental glares like Brad either. 

She didn’t really know where she was going until she burst out of the gym and looked down the hallway towards the direction where she knew Flynn’s locker was. She had a feeling the girl might end up there out of habit.

She wanted to talk to Flynn.

She wasn’t sure what she was going to say. She just knew she couldn’t get her dad’s stupid, overly sentimental speech out of her head. 

_ Because I understand what it’s like to be angry about all the things life has taken from you. And because I know that lashing out or pretending nothing can hurt you can feel like the only way to deal with that. Trust me it’s not. _

She and Flynn weren’t friends. But Carrie didn’t want to pretend that she was above caring about what had just happened to the other girl. She didn’t know how she would be received if she found her but she wanted to do the hard thing for once and chance it anyway. 

Her instincts turned out to be good because as soon as she approached Flynn’s locker she saw both Flynn and Julie sitting on the floor. Unfortunately her victory was short lived once she heard what Flynn was saying.

“Thank you, but really, I’m ok. I’m more disappointed I let myself consider someone as an option who likes the demon queen herself.”

Carrie frowned.

“Is that supposed to refer to me?”

There was a moment of silence before Julie pushed herself to her feet and strode towards Carrie, an intimidating look on her face. 

“You do not get to come here and gloat, Carrie,” She snapped in a tone much more forceful than Carrie was used to hearing from her former friend. “Just go back to your little friends and leave us alone.”

Carrie wasn’t exactly sure how to answer that. Her instincts were screaming at her to come up with a devastating comeback but hadn’t she just promised herself not to default to pushing people away? Even if it was Julie who she had no intention of pulling  _ too  _ close to her. 

“I didn’t come to gloat,” Carrie finally responded, fighting to keep her tone neutral. “I came to make sure Flynn was ok.” 

Julie narrowed her eyes.

“Why would you do that after the stunt you just pulled?”

Carrie shook her head forcefully.

“I didn’t know anything about that. I just told Brad off for being an idiot and a cruel one at that. I liked your speech by the way too, Flynn. He deserved that take down.”

Flynn and Julie exchanged a look that probably spoke a thousand words even though Carrie had no hope of knowing what they were. 

“You’re really telling us you had nothing to do with that?” Julie asked suspiciously.

“I had no idea about any of this,” Carrie confirmed. “I don’t need a guy to do my dirty work for me and I would have come up with a much better plan if I was in charge of this plot.”

“Well...that’s probably true,” Flynn allowed. “You probably would have been more efficient that’s for sure.”

Carrie couldn’t help it. She smiled a little at that. 

“Obviously.”

Julie took a step back to allow the other two girls to talk, clearly having decided Carrie wasn’t an immediate threat. 

“Well, you can clear your conscience because Brad pretty clearly doesn’t speak for you and anyway...I’m fine.” 

Carrie couldn’t help but feel another surge of grudging respect for Flynn. She was undeniably tough. 

“I can see that.”

There was a moment of awkward silence. 

“Well...is there anything else?” Julie asked, a dismissal obvious in her tone. 

“No. Just glad you’re ok.” 

Carrie turned to leave but something slowed her steps. She was having another one of those urges to do the right thing and she didn’t particularly like it. Still. It didn’t feel right to go on with her night as planned after what had just happened. 

When she had gotten Julie’s band disqualified from the battle of the bands competition she had felt justified in her own mind. They had broken the rules just like when Julie had hijacked the spirit assembly. Why should Julie get to do whatever she wanted just because she wanted to?

But now...it was hard to look back on it as anything but selfish and mean spirited. Was it that action and a thousand others like it that had added up to make Brad think she was the kind of person who would want him to toy with another girl’s emotions for fun? 

She still thought Julie got away with too much. She still thought Flynn was brash and annoying. But that wasn’t the point. 

The point was what did she want to think about  _ herself _ ? 

Carrie spun on her heels to face the other two girls before she could change her mind.

“You should perform tonight.”

Both Julie and Flynn reacted to her statement with only disbelieving looks.

“What?” Julie asked, face a mask of confusion.

Carrie took a breath in through her nose before quickly repeating herself.

“Your dumb hologram band should perform tonight instead of Dirty Candy. This offer isn’t good forever. Take it or leave it.” 

“I...yeah, ok. If you’re sure.”

Julie wasn’t concealing her excitement very well.

Carrie gritted her teeth. 

“I’m becoming less sure by the minute. Come on before I change my mind.” 

She took a couple of steps down the hallway and Julie started to follow her before turning back to face Flynn. 

“Flynn, are you coming?”

Flynn smiled encouragingly at her friend but then shook her head.

“I’m going to take just a few more minutes before I face the witnesses to all of that. But you should go. You earned this!” 

Julie pulled Flynn into a tight hug and Carrie tried not to let it show that she was actually a little moved by their display of friendship. After all, she remembered what it was like to be the recipient of a Julie Molina hug.

“I can feel my mind changing…” She announced impatiently causing the girls to break apart. 

Julie rolled her eyes but with one more squeeze of her friend’s hand she did turn and follow Carrie back towards the gym. 

“So...does this mean we’re friends?” Julie asked, clearly half sarcastic but with the tiniest kernel of a real question buried in there somewhere.

Carrie rolled her eyes but she couldn’t help but let the tiniest fraction of a smile tug at the corner of her lips.

“It means we’re not enemies.”

She thought maybe, just maybe she could figure out how they could be something else. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They’re not exactly abut to exchange friendship bracelets but Carrie’s trying to feel something other than hate. We love that for her. 💜


	45. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy. I've been trying to post this all morning and for some reason AO3 did not like my phone today. If you're reading this I was finally successful. Fingers crossed! 
> 
> One more chapter after this and an epilogue. This chapter has the last song for this story and some great banter with our favorite ghosts. Some more Carrie and Julie moments too. 
> 
> I don't have too much to say. I'm just feeling super emotional about how far this story has come even if it hasn't been that long. I hope that these ending chapters live up to your expectations and take you out with lots of good, fuzzy feelings. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter. Can't wait to hear your thoughts!

Luke had not been to a lot of high school dances. 

In fact with the exception of one that Sunset Curve played at when they were still alive, he hadn’t been to  _ any  _ school dances. It just hadn’t been at the top of his priority list. Every spare moment had been spent gigging or rehearsing for gigs or writing songs to play at gigs...no wonder his parents had thought he was obsessed with music. He had been. He just had never been able to make them understand how right it felt when he found the perfect chord for a song or the moment an audience truly tuned in and he knew they had them. 

Of course, Julie had somehow been able to explain it to them in the space of five minutes. And yeah, maybe it was partially the wisdom of time or the fact that they had lost him and would take any comfort they could get. 

But he was pretty sure a lot of it was just that his girl was amazing.

He was currently watching her dance with Alex and Reggie, the three of them having the absolute time of their lives. Well, Alex and Julie were. Reggie had been a little off ever since they arrived and Luke was pretty sure it had something to do with the member of their crew who was  _ not  _ currently with them but instead across the gym dancing with her date. 

But Julie and Alex had managed to convince him to join them finally, and he seemed to be enjoying it. They were taking turns copying each other’s dance moves and Julie was giggling as Alex in particular really went for it.

It was so good to see her happy. It was even better to see her healthy. He still didn’t fully understand all of the nuances of what had happened at Caleb’s club even after Julie had explained it to him. What he did know was that for the first time in ages she seemed like she wasn’t in danger of crumpling to the floor and he couldn’t be anything but grateful for that. 

Luke frowned.

The problem was he couldn’t shake what Willie had told them right before Caleb had taken Julie. It made so much sense and seemed so obvious as soon as he had heard it. They had been draining her too. 

Willie chose that moment to approach Luke and lean against the wall next to him. 

“They look happy,” Willie observed with a smile.

“They are,” Luke agreed. “And they deserve it.”

Willie nodded but then turned a bit to examine Luke’s face more fully. 

“So why don’t you look happy?”

Luke sighed.

“Caleb’s not draining her anymore but what if we still are? I can’t stand the thought that we were taking her energy just like he was.”

Willie was already shaking his head before Luke could finish his statement.

“Luke, I thought you figured this out after Julie told us what happened with Caleb. I was wrong. You were never taking Julie’s energy. You couldn’t. I think the club proved that.”

Luke’s frown was only growing deeper, though this one was born more of confusion then a dark mood. 

“But we broke Caleb’s stamps the first time. And we could touch Julie and sometimes other people. And people can see us when we play! We had to be taking soul energy from somewhere, you said it yourself.”

Willie leaned in closer and placed a hand on Luke’s shoulder as though to make sure his words really sunk in.

“You were never taking anything. Julie was  _ giving  _ it. She’s the one who’s special,” He gave Luke a small, playful shove. “No offense.”

“I could have told you that,” Luke muttered, unable or unwilling to fight the small smile that tugged on his mouth at the thought. 

He really,  _ really  _ was a sap. 

“Julie broke the stamp’s contract because she wanted you guys to stay. She made you solid because she wanted to hug you. And now we’re able to be visible? Why do you think that is?”

Luke was pretty sure it was a rhetorical question and he was still processing too much to answer anyway. 

“She doesn’t even know exactly how she’s doing it but she knows  _ why  _ she’s doing it now. She loves you guys. And if it hadn’t been on top of what someone else had been doing I doubt she ever would have been hurt by it. You’re nothing like Caleb, Luke. You’re just one of the ghosts lucky enough to be loved by Julie.”

Well. If that wasn’t a punch in the gut. A punch that was somehow both painful and the best feeling he had ever had. 

Willie gave his shoulder one more squeeze. 

“Come on, man. Let’s get out there.”

He allowed himself to be led over to their friends, the grin Julie greeted him with sending a rush of happiness straight through him. He grabbed one of her hands and spun her in a quick circle, catching her giggling form as she stumbled at the end. 

He could get used to this. 

Of course, a night out for them could never go  _ that  _ smoothly. It wasn’t long before they were all watching in horror as Flynn’s date led her onto the stage and then humiliated her in front of the whole school. Of course, Flynn was more than capable of handling it on her own, issuing a truly scathing takedown of the guy before climbing off the stage. That didn’t mean the whole thing didn’t fill him with rage though. He saw the same feeling reflected on his friend’s faces, especially Reggie. 

Luke had half a second to realize what Reggie was going to do before he did it but not enough time to stop him. Not that he really wanted to.

Reggie poofed out and Julie spun in circles trying to determine if anyone had seen him do it. Luckily they were gathered in a corner and it seemed liked they had managed to get away with it. Which meant the rest of them could probably get away with joining him. 

Julie must have realized what they were thinking.

“Don’t even think about…”

But the rest of the ghosts were already gone, having poofed up to land invisibly next to Reggie and the guy he had just left in a heap on the floor. 

The guy eventually hauled himself up and tried to make an appeal to Carrie, an appeal that did not seem to be getting him anywhere. Luke knew that Julie and Carrie had history and he knew she had a tendency to be...well, awful. The battle of the bands situation was proof enough of that. But he was definitely glad for her attitude tonight.

After Carrie stomped off, Brad made a big show of dusting himself off and started to walk away too. Unfortunately for him an invisible barrier named Reggie was in his way. He tried again only to meet the same result. He turned a little to the side only this time he ran directly into Alex. Luke and Willie took up positions beside and behind him and soon Brad was spinning in a circle trying to escape a cage no one could see. 

If the whispers of the nearby people was any indication they thought he had totally lost it.

“Ok, that’s enough, boys,” Luke finally said. 

Alex and Willie poofed out right away but Reggie hesitated.

“Reg?” 

Reggie stuck his finger in his mouth and then stuck it directly into Brad’s ear causing the boy to grab for his head and let out a very unattractive squeak. 

Luke couldn’t help but laugh as he and Reggie poofed back to their spot in the corner where Alex and Willie were waiting. 

“That was usually my move,” He observed. 

Reggie shrugged. 

“He had it coming. Should we go look for Flynn?”

Luke patted his friend on the back in what he hoped was a comforting gesture.

“I’m sure that Julie’s with her. Let’s give them a few minutes ok? She probably doesn’t want an audience right now.”

Reggie nodded though Luke could tell he was itching to poof out and look for her. He got it. He really did. If it had been Julie he would have been on the warpath too.

A few minutes passed and Luke was having a harder and harder time keeping Reggie next to him. Luckily Julie picked that moment to show up. The weird part was she wasn’t alone. 

“They’re really here?” Carrie asked, though this was also probably a rhetorical question given that she could now see they were right in front of her. 

“Surprise!” Julie waved her hands awkwardly and Luke shot her an amused look. 

“What’s going on?” He asked. 

“Yeah, is Flynn ok?” Reggie cut in. 

“She’s fine,” Julie assured him. “She’s just taking another minute before she comes back in but she really is ok. Carrie decided we should perform instead of Dirty Candy.”

“Really?” 

Luke and Alex exchanged high fives.

“Yeah, well I didn’t know the hologram band was going to play in person instead. That’s not as exciting.” Carrie remarked.

“Sorry our existence as human beings doesn’t excite you,” Alex observed sarcastically. “We’re pretty psyched about it.”

Carrie frowned.

“Wait...aren’t they supposed to be Swedish? Why don’t they have accents?”

There was a moment of panicked silence before Reggie spoke again. 

“Yah! Weez iz Swedish yah.”

“Ok...that is...wildly inaccurate and borderline offensive.” Alex muttered. 

Julie started an awkward, fake laugh. 

“They don’t really have accents. They watch  _ a lot  _ of American TV. Anyway, we’re ready to play.” 

“Uh, not exactly,” Luke disagreed. “Julie, we can’t um…” 

He opened and shut his hand in a “poof” motion. 

“Our instruments. Since we’re real. I mean since we’re really here. Uh, I mean, we didn’t bring them.”

Carrie was looking back and forth between them as though they were crazy. 

“Of course you managed to find a band as weird as you are. We’re in a school with a music program,” Carrie said as though the answer should have been obvious. “Meet me backstage in 10 minutes.” 

She spun on her heels without waiting for an answer and Julie exchanged a tentative look with the guys. 

“Sooo...do you guys want to do this?”

There was a brief moment of silence before Alex answered for all of them.

“Hell yeah!”

They all grinned and did one of their little bouncing hugs which Willie joined in on this time. 

They pulled back and Julie gave him a playful look. 

“Wow, Luke, you’re pretty excited about playing at a lame school dance.”

He groaned before slinging one arm over her shoulders.

“I thought we established I’m an idiot.”

“We did didn’t we?” Julie said even as she snuggled further into his side.

“We could have told you that,” Reggie offered jokingly.

“Bold words from the guy who thought he invented sliced cheese,” Alex rolled his eyes.

“Hey! Cheese paper could have been big,” Reggie protested.

Luke and Alex shook their heads. Reggie truly was lucky he could play the bass. 

“Come on,” Julie said. “Let’s go get ready. Should we do Home?” 

By the time they made it to the stage which was now hidden behind curtains an electric guitar and bass were already waiting. Carrie was also supervising as three sweaty guys put together a drum set. 

“She’s terrifying but effective,” Willie observed.

“Right?” Alex agreed.

The other members of Dirty Candy were standing off the side awkwardly. 

Julie approached Carrie.

“Are you sure about this? You guys were all ready to go on.”

Carrie rolled her eyes.

“Julie you’re never going to get anywhere if you don’t grab an opportunity when it presents itself. Now get it together!”

The other Dirty Candy members broke into applause which they quickly cut off when Carrie shot them a look. 

“Does anyone else find her oddly inspirational?” Reggie asked.

Luke nodded. 

He was probably never going to be Carrie’s biggest fan but he couldn’t disagree with her in this case. Julie deserved this and she needed to own the moment. 

Julie turned back to her band and shrugged, a smile growing on her face.

“Ok, let’s do this!”

The various people scattered and Alex, Reggie and Luke took their places. 

“Don’t blow it,” Carrie said as she handed Julie the microphone. 

Luke started to frown but then Carrie smiled softly.

“Do it for both of us.”

Julie smiled back.

“I will.” 

Carrie headed for the wings as did Willie and Julie stepped to the middle of the stage. The song they were going to play had no piano, just opened up with Julie’s voice alone. It was the reason they hadn’t performed it for other people yet. Julie just hadn’t been ready to be that vulnerable in front of a crowd yet.

The fact that she had suggested they do that song tonight did almost as much to reassure Luke about how good she was feeling as the color that had returned to her face. It wasn’t like he could take any credit at all but he was still so proud of her.

The lights in the gym dimmed even more as blue spotlights found them on the stage. A hush fell over the crowd and Julie took a deep breath. 

Her pure voice resonated through the space, no music just her heart pouring out on its own.

_ I hear your voice when I need it most  _

_ So much louder than I supposed  _

_ I feel your love when I’m full of fear _

_ You remind me the strength I need _

_ Was always here _

There was a moment of awed silence before cheers broke out. Luke almost didn’t remember to come in with his part and he suspected his bandmates were having a similar struggle. Julie’s voice had that effect. Luckily they were able to pull it together. 

All of the instruments came in and Luke stepped closer to the mic to sing his part of the verse. He couldn’t help but let his eyes drift to Julie as he did so and he wasn’t surprised to see her already watching him in anticipation.

_ I feel your touch when I need it most  _

_ Something real when I felt like a ghost  _

_ I see your face when I close my eyes  _

_ I don’t need to sleep to dream tonight _

Alex built up the song’s momentum with a driving beat and all four of them launched into the chorus. 

_ I feel our hearts beat  _

_ Faster, faster  _

_ Feel our lungs breathe  _

_ After, after  _

_ Everything they tried to take from us _

_ We still find  _

_ Our way home  _

_ I feel our hearts beat  _

_ Faster, faster  _

_ Feel our lungs breathe  _

_ After, after  _

_ All the mistakes and heartbreaks  _

_ We still find  _

_ Our way home _

The crowd was clearly into it, he could see them out of the corner of his eye moving and dancing along but he couldn’t bring himself to give them his full attention. His friends. His family. His girl. All here, all safe and happy and making music together.

It almost felt like a dream. This was the feeling he had been talking about the night they were supposed to play the Orpheum back in 95. Connection. Only it didn’t seem so important to feel it with everybody anymore.

He felt it with the people who really mattered.

Before he knew it they had reached the bridge. Reggie grabbed his mic and turned to face Alex. Luke kept the rhythm going as he strummed the guitar and Julie added some adlibs as Alex and Reggie took turns singing the main lines.

_ I don’t know what comes next  _

_ But we won’t face it alone  _

_ I don’t know how this ends _

_ But you lead me back home  _

Luke took the next home and Julie took the one after that. On the final one all four of their voices blended together in harmony as Reggie returned to his original spot in time for the music to come back full force. 

_ Home _

_ Home  _

_ Home _

_ I feel our hearts beat  _

_ Faster, faster  _

_ Feel our lungs breathe  _

_ After, after  _

_ Everything they tried to take from us _

_ We still find  _

_ Our way home  _

_ I feel our hearts beat  _

_ Faster, faster  _

_ Feel our lungs breathe  _

_ After, after  _

_ All the mistakes and heartbreaks  _

_ We still find  _

_ Our way home _

One by one the guys let their instruments fade out until at last only Julie’s voice remained.

_ I feel our hearts beat _

_ Faster, faster  _

_ Feel our lungs breathe  _

_ After, after  _

_ Everything  _

_ You are  _

_ My home _

The cheers and applause broke out as soon as her last note faded away. 

Luke knew they had definitely picked the right song. Julie had brought them home in so many ways. She had played their cd and summoned them from whatever limbo they had been trapped in. She had given him back his parents. She had sucked the life right out of Caleb and somehow managed to make them visible to the rest of the world at the same time. 

Julie was their home. And if they could be hers then all of this had been worth it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus fact: The person who had the "cheese paper" idea in the real world was my sister. So glad I could revisit that moment of stupidity for this story lol.


	46. Can’t Stop Loving You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it. The last regular chapter. We still have the epilogue but this is the end of an era. A very short era but still lol. This chapter is my gift to all of you for coming on this journey with me and lifting me up during a truly terrible time in all of our lives with your lovely comments. I hope that it makes you all feel warm and fuzzy and loved. I love and appreciate each and everyone of you! 
> 
> The song they are dancing to is the Taylor Swift Cover of “Can’t Stop Loving You”. Yes, I know it’s technically a break up song but the bittersweet vibe is perfect for these characters and it’s beautiful. Listen as you read if you want! 
> 
> I thought we should do something fun to celebrate the ending coming up so I made a little survey for you guys to take:
> 
> https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GFTPPY5
> 
> This will let you vote for your favorite moments and lines and I’ll share the results when I post the epilogue. I’m very interested to see if “Budget Scooby gang” or “emotional maturity of a medium sized rock” will come out on top lol. 
> 
> Enjoy! 💜

Julie hardly remembered getting off the stage and back on to the gym floor. It had all been a rush of joy and adrenaline and endorphins and probably some other chemicals her science teacher would like her to be able to identify. All she knew was she found herself surrounded by a crowd of people congratulating her on their performance and wanting to take photos with them. She couldn’t help but notice that some of the girls seemed more interested in a solo selfie with Luke than a group shot. 

It was amusing to her watching the guys who were still very much not used to modern technology trying to figure out where to look as girls shoved their phones in their faces. 

Julie caught Luke’s eyes over the throng of people between them and felt a rush of affection as he shrugged helplessly. 

Was this real? Did she really get to keep him? All of them? 

Eventually the line of people wanting their attention dwindled and they were able to regroup. 

“I should probably go check on Flynn,” Julie said, glancing around to make sure her best friend hadn’t returned yet. 

“I can go,” Reggie volunteered quickly, ignoring the knowing looks all of his friends exchanged at his enthusiastic offer. 

Julie considered for a moment.

Normally she would want to confirm her friend’s well-being for herself but she was confident after their earlier conversation that Flynn was fundamentally ok. She was sure there was still hurt there but not true heartbreak. And honestly, a visit from a cute, newly visible boy might do more to restore her mood than Julie could.

“Ok, thanks, Reg. Last I saw her she was by her locker.”

Reggie nodded and turned to head in that direction.

“Is it weirding anyone else out to see him taking the long way?” Alex said in a hushed voice. “It’s nice to be seen but kind of inconvenient.”

“I just can’t win with you guys, huh?” Julie teased, before dropping her voice to avoid being overheard. “Should I see if I can figure out how to make you permanently air again?” 

“I vote no,” Willie interjected, grinning as he bumped Alex’s shoulder with his.

“Me too,” Luke chimed in, raising a hand as though casting his vote. 

“Why do you guys always make me seem like the difficult one?” Alex protested. 

Julie and Luke exchanged a look before bursting out into laughter.

“Wow, ok. I see how it is. Come on Willie, let’s go see if we can drink punch or not. Why do they even have punch at dances? When else in your life do you ever drink punch?”

Alex made a big show of turning to walk away before looking back over his shoulder and throwing a grin back at his friends to show he was in on the joke.

Willie chuckled.

“I’m gonna…” He pointed after Alex, then gave the others a small wave. 

And then it was just Julie and Luke. 

Just as Julie was opening her mouth to say something the last beats of the song playing faded out and transitioned into a slow song. 

There was a moment of awkward hesitation then Luke spoke, reaching up to scratch at the back of his head and looking so much like he had when he told her she made him a better writer it took her breath away. 

“So...I mean we’re at a dance...should we dance?”

Julie smiled softly. 

They were going full on cliche and she couldn’t be happier about it. She and Flynn had watched so many movies that ended just like this. A boy. A girl. A slow dance. To be fair none of them had the boy hovering between the ghost world and reality but she would take what she could get, at least for tonight. 

“We should,” She replied, reaching up to loop her arms around his neck. 

* * *

It turned out they could not in fact drink punch. 

Alex had taken one sip which despite his relatively solid form had somehow managed to pass right through his jaw and onto the floor. 

Luckily he was pretty sure he was able to pass it off as him just being clumsy and missing his mouth but he wouldn’t be pushing his luck and trying to eat pizza anytime soon. 

Willie had not even attempted not to laugh at Alex’s failure and the drummer rolled his eyes as he tossed his plastic cup in the trash can. 

“Ok, I get it. Let’s all laugh at Alex for his optimism regarding food consumption, ha ha ha.”

“You’re known for your optimism,” Willie observed sarcastically.

“Hey, sarcasm is my thing,” Alex protested, but he was actually having the time of his life just being able to be teased by Willie and not think about any dire situation looming right around the corner. 

Before Willie could respond to his claim on sarcasm in their relationship, the song transitioned to a slow song and people around them began to pair off. 

Willie shot him a soft smile.

“What do you say, Hotdog?”

He held out his hand and Alex hesitated glancing around nervously. 

“But...maybe we shouldn’t. Not in front of so many people.”

Willie frowned and leaned in to whisper in Alex’s ear. 

“None of them know we’re ghosts. It’s fine.”

He pulled back and Alex shook his head.

“No, I mean because of the...other thing. Because we’re guys.” 

Willie’s face softened and he took Alex’s hand and pulled him further onto the dance floor. He pulled Alex’s hands to his waist without giving him time to protest, wrapping his arms around the taller boy’s neck.

“Things have changed a lot, Alex.”

Alex looked around quickly to assess the situation, unable to fight the panic that wanted to make its way into his brain. Memories of comments from his parents and laughter from his classmates and slurs from total strangers all flooding his mind at once. 

But then...nothing.

No one was paying attention to them at all.

Alex turned back to face Willie unable to keep the wonder from his voice. 

“We can just...be,” He observed. 

Willie smiled, one hand coming up to brush at Alex’s floppy hair gently. 

“We can just be.”

And for once in his life Alex didn’t want to be anywhere…didn’t want to be _anything_ else. 

* * *

When Reggie found Flynn she was sitting on the floor, her back against a locker, her knees pulled up to her chest and her head resting on her folded arms. She was facing away from him and his heart clenched a little at the sight. Julie had said she was ok but maybe he should have pushed harder to come look for her earlier. He hated the thought that he had been having fun on stage while she had been out here alone.

“Flynn?” 

She raised her hand and turned to look at him. He was relieved to see there were no tears on her face though he still wasn’t convinced she was totally ok. How could she be? 

“Reggie, my favorite,” She joked, offering him a smile that almost reached her eyes. “I’m still not used to this. There you are.” 

She raised one hand to gesture at his newly solid form and he had to agree. It was definitely weird to be seen by the girl in front of him when he wasn’t playing with Julie. As Sammi had said recently, it was definitely good weird though. 

“Here I am,” He said, raising his hands in a “ta da” motion. “Are you ok?”

Flynn sighed. 

“I’m fine.” 

He must have looked skeptical because she smiled before continuing.

“No really, I am. It sucks but it’s like I said, him being a jerk doesn’t define my worth. And honestly he was super boring. He didn’t make me laugh once.” 

Reggie nodded in a jokingly serious manner.

“That’s important. Someone who can make you laugh.” 

“I think so,” Flynn agreed, before growing quiet. “I just...did you know Julie and I used to call each other disappointment and underachiever? I always knew how great we were but to everyone else we were sort of invisible. And I’m so happy for Julie and everything that’s happened but I just...this whole thing with Brad was the first thing that made _me_ feel like I wasn’t invisible for once. And that didn’t turn out so great. It’s stupid.”

Reggie shook his head fiercely.

“Hey, it’s not stupid. You’re talking to the king of feeling invisible.”

Flynn chuckled. 

“Point taken.”

“And...and...if it helps...I see you. I always saw you.” 

There was a moment of silence during which Reggie was sure he had said too much or the absolute wrong thing and Flynn was about to tell him she was going to take out some kind of ghost restraining order against him. 

But instead her eyes shined suspiciously like tears had gathered there and granted him an absolutely blinding smile. 

“It helps.”

Reggie returned her smile in happy silence for just a moment too long. Flynn broke the awkwardness by clearing her throat and swiping at her eyes.

“Shouldn’t you be enjoying the first dance of your afterlife?” 

Reggie shook his head dismissively.

“I am enjoying it. Here, with you. Hey...do you want to dance?”

He asked it quickly before he could chicken out and change his mind. 

Flynn looked around the empty hallway questioningly.

“Here? But we can’t even hear the music.”

Reggie scoffed. 

“Music? We can make our own music. Come on.”

He held out a hand and Flynn hesitated for only a moment before placing her hand in his. Reggie tugged her to her feet and guided her arms around his neck. He placed his around her waist and started turning them in slow circles. 

He leaned down to her ear and began singing softly. 

_And I’d hang up my boots and spurs_

_If she only told me I could be hers_

_It’s been just me and my trusty steed_

_But she’s got what I really need_

_Oh Flynn_

Flynn chuckled and leaned in closer to rest her head against his shoulder. 

Reggie continued to sing softly as they slowly moved around the hallway. 

“This is nice,” He thought to himself.

This time he didn’t say it out loud. He didn’t need to. 

* * *

Carrie was not having the night she expected. She had started the day thinking she would get glammed up, run the social scene at the dance and perform to thunderous applause to top the night off. 

Instead she had cried in front of her dad, told off Brad, and handed over the opportunity to perform to Julie. And now she was watching basically the entire school pair off and dance to a slow song while she stood alone on the side of the gym. 

She wasn’t sure how that whole “be a better person” thing was working out for her honestly. She still felt pretty alone. 

“Where’s your glittery shadows?” A voice broke her out of her thoughts. “Did you send your admirers home early?”

Nick.

Carrie’s heart clenched like it always did when she saw him. She did her best to keep her face impassive as she turned to see him though she was fairly sure she was failing miserably.

“Nick. I didn’t think you were coming.”

He shook his head ruefully.

“I didn’t think so either. It’s been a _long_ day. But I decided I should make an appearance. It sounds like I missed a lot. You told off Brad for embarrassing Flynn?”

Carrie cringed. Word really did travel fast. 

“You heard about that?”

“I also heard you let Julie’s band perform.”

Carrie shrugged as though she didn’t care what he thought about those actions more than anyone else. 

“Yeah, well. It wasn’t for her or anything, it was just so people don’t think I need to steal wins. I’ll beat her fair and square next year once the novelty of holograms wears off.”

Nick shook his head but he was smiling.

“Just own that you did the right thing. I’m proud of you.”

Carrie didn’t have a lot she could say to that without giving away just how much she wanted his approval. Just how much she had missed him.

“Look, Carrie if I did or said anything...weird or mean the last few weeks then I’m sorry. I haven’t been feeling like myself. But I’m coming back to myself now.” 

Carrie nodded, still not trusting herself to speak and not just confess how much she still loved him. She knew what he meant. She hadn’t felt like herself for a lot longer than that. She thought she might be coming back to herself now too. 

“Hey, someone made me realize recently that we never actually danced together. What do you say? One dance? As friends?” 

Carrie took a deep breath. It wasn’t everything she wanted. But maybe the truth was you just never got everything you wanted. You didn’t get to win all the time _and_ have real friends. You didn’t get to be angry all the time _and_ enjoy your life. And you didn’t get to have the big movie happy ending _and_ focus on fixing yourself first. 

But she could have a dance with Nick. 

And that was something. 

“Why not,” She offered him a smile she knew he would recognize as her genuine one even if she had shown it to him rarely in the past.

So they danced. And it was definitely something.

* * *

Luke and Julie were slow dancing and it was a strange feeling.

It was still strange to be able to feel Julie surrounding him like this, her arms looped around his neck, her body brushing against him as they moved, her hair tickling his chin as she pressed her face against his chest. 

It was strange to be wrapped up in each other like this and know that anyone could look over and see them, both of them. 

It was strange to know that the looming threat of Caleb was finally gone for good and nobody was waiting in the wings to threaten either of them.

And it was really, really strange to be only physically dancing and no longer dancing around the way they felt about each other.

It was all strange. 

He wouldn’t change any of it.

Eventually Julie pulled back just enough that she could look up at him. 

“I can practically hear you thinking,” She said teasingly.

Luke chuckled.

“Please tell me that’s not one of your powers now.”

“Not yet.”

Julie paused before speaking again, her tone a little more serious.

“I know that a lot has changed really fast. No regrets?”

Luke raised one hand to run his knuckles gently over her cheek. 

The last time he had said those words to her he had thought he was moments away from the end of both of his lives. He had surprised himself with just how much he meant it even as he was saying it.

And Julie was right, even though it hadn’t been that long a lot had changed since then. 

But the only thing that had changed when it came to that statement was he was no longer surprised it was true.

“No regrets,” He told her softly, trying to infuse it with all of the feelings he could only manage to put into words when they were writing a song. 

She smiled before lowering her head back to his chest. 

And then they were just a girl. And just a boy. 

At a dance. 

And that was more than enough. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is the hug I want to give you all if we weren’t far apart and in a pandemic. 💜


	47. Epilogue: Tonight’s the night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We’re here. The end. I plan to do a sequel or season 3 so I’m trying not to let myself feel too sad about it but this story has still been so special to me. Thank you all so much for the love and support you have shown it (and me). I hope I will see you all in the comments of my next JATP story which will be called *drum roll* We Found Wonderland. I expect the first chapter to go up within the next couple of weeks. 
> 
> A few possibly fun facts about this story:
> 
> -My laptop died at the beginning of the year so I wrote this entire story, all 100,000+ words on my phone. My thumbs are tired lol. I’m trying to save up for a laptop but that takes time so I’ll probably write the next one on my phone too. Pray for me lol. 
> 
> -Because I’m writing on my phone I have to deal with autocorrect. My phone corrected “poofed” to “pooped” EVERY SINGLE TIME I used it and I lived in absolute fear I would miss fixing one st one point and REALLY change the action of a scene. 😂
> 
> -During the course of writing this I binge watched JATP 5 times in an attempt to keep their voices fresh in my mind 
> 
> And now on to the survey results!
> 
> FAVORITE FUNNY LINE:  
> Winner: What kind of budget Scooby gang shit is this?  
> Runner up: Which is why it is all the more surprising you have the emotional intelligence of a medium sized rock. 
> 
> FAVORITE VILLAIN MOMENT:  
> Winner: Caleb vs the gang at his club  
> Runner up: Dante haunts Julie 
> 
> FAVORITE BADASS MOMENT:  
> Winner: Julie reverses the connection on Caleb  
> Runner up: Flynn hits Dante with her bat 
> 
> FAVORITE FLUFFY FAMILY MOMENT:  
> Winner: Ray gives Reggie a pep talk without knowing it   
> Runner up: Reggie can finally hug Sammi
> 
> FAVORITE SONG:  
> Winner: Home  
> Runner up: Speaking a Different Language 
> 
> FAVORITE FLEGGIE MOMENT:  
> Winners (tie): Reggie writes Flynn a country song and Flynn gives Reggie the notebook 
> 
> FAVORITE WILLEX MOMENT:  
> Winner: Celebratory first kiss   
> Runner up: Homecoming dance 
> 
> FAVORITE JUKE MOMENT:  
> Winner: Luke trying to sleep on Julie in her bedroom   
> Runner ups (tie): Holding hands in Josie’s car and First kiss 
> 
> WORST CLIFFHANGER:   
> Winners(tie): Julie disappears from her bed and Gang is losing badly at Caleb’s club
> 
> MOMENT THAT MADE YOU WANT TO CRY:  
> Winner: Julie heard the voices of all the people who love her before defeating Caleb   
> Runner up: Julie tells Luke about holding her mom’s hand 
> 
> FAVORITE UNDERRATED SHIP:  
> Winner: Flynn/Bat  
> Runner ups (tie): Reggie/Accidentally saying things out loud and Alex/Hilarious one liners
> 
> Special shout out to whoever put them/me lol. I would be proud to be shipped with any of you! 
> 
> And now on to the epilogue. Just a reminder this is the equivalent of the little scene where Nick shows up at Julie’s door and gets possessed. It’s short and cliffhangery. I suggest you read it and then read yesterday’s chapter for fluffy closure. 
> 
> There will be a surprise coming later today or tomorrow that isn’t another chapter but I think you guys are going to LOVE. I can’t wait to see what you think. 
> 
> But for now...one last time on this story I’ll just say...enjoy. 💜

The last notes of the song rang out and Carrie and Nick stepped away from each other, a slight feeling of awkwardness hanging in the air. 

Still, Carrie knew it could be a lot worse. He wasn’t looking at her like he was ashamed of her and he wasn’t looking right through her. He also wasn’t looking at her like he was in love with her. He was just looking. She could live with that. 

The dance was clearly starting to wrap up. There were probably a few songs left but some people were already starting to filter toward the exit. Nick seemed to get distracted by one of those. Carrie followed his gaze and saw exactly who he was looking at now. 

Julie.

“Hey, I need to talk to someone before they leave,” He told her slightly guiltily. 

“Julie,” She stated bluntly, thinking it was high time they were all a little more open with each other. 

“Yeah,” He nodded, giving her a both sympathetic and affectionate look. “Are you going to be ok getting home?” 

She gave him a small smile and found that she wasn’t even faking it. Julie had said nothing romantic was going on between them and she was inclined to believe her. She wanted Nick to be happy either way. And maybe, just maybe someday she would get another chance. Or not. She would have to learn to live with that. 

She would have to learn to live. 

“I’m good,” She answered. “I’ll see you on Monday.” 

“See you on Monday.”

Then he was gone and Carrie was on her own again, killing a few minutes by people watching just so it wouldn’t look like she was following Nick out. She still had her pride after all. But after about five minutes she figured it was safe and headed for the exit. Once she was outside she checked her phone and frowned down at the text message she saw there. 

Supposedly the driver her dad had sent was already there but as she glanced around the sidewalk where groups of students congregated waiting for their rides she didn’t see the familiar black car. She tapped the driver’s contact and started walking further down the sidewalk as she heard it ring, hoping to find a spot away from the chattering teenagers so she could hear what he had to say. 

“Hello?” 

He picked up just as Carrie heard two more voices carry over from around the corner of the building stopping her in her tracks. Because these two voices were familiar. Nick and Julie.

Carrie hung up the phone without responding and walked over to the corner of the building. Eavesdropping was definitely not something she should be doing on her first night of trying to “do better” whatever that meant. But she just wanted to know if Nick was still hung up on Julie or not. Surely she could just check if he was confessing his love to her or not and then leave them in peace?

She leaned as close as she dared to the corner of the building and listened in. 

“Crazy day huh?” 

That was Julie.

“Apparently I’ve had a crazy couple of months, I just can’t remember them.” 

And that was Nick. 

What exactly did he mean by that?

“You seem to be taking everything really well considering,” Julie said. 

“Considering I just learned ghosts are real?” Nick said, his tone amused but somehow not giving off the effect that he was joking. “I’m freaking out plenty, trust me.”

“No seriously,” Julie insisted. “I freaked out way more.”

“Well, clearly not for too long,” Nick teased. “You did form a band with three of them.”

Carrie reeled back from the corner of the building.

_ Ghosts? The guys in Julie’s band were ghosts? _

That couldn’t be right. Only...it actually explained a lot. Carrie’s mind quickly flipped through all of the things that had always bothered her about Julie’s band, all of the things that had never quite added up. 

_ Ghosts _ . 

Ghosts were real. They were in Julie’s band. 

Carrie’s phone rang and she walked quickly back towards the entrance to the school, waiting to answer it until she was far enough away from Nick and Julie.

“Are you ready to go home Miss Carrie?”

“Yes.” 

And she was. She had  _ a lot  _ to think about. 

* * *

It was late. 

They had returned from the dance almost an hour ago and Flynn and Julie had spent at least half an hour chatting and exchanging stories about their dance experiences. They both had a lot to catch up on but finally Flynn had given into the yawns threatening to overwhelm her and headed off to sleep in the guest room. 

Julie wasn’t asleep though. Because soon after Flynn had left Luke had poofed in and she didn’t have the heart to send him back out to the garage, not when she really wanted nothing more than to keep him next to her and extend their magical evening just a little longer. 

So Luke had crawled into bed beside her and they had whispered to each other, big dumb smiles on both of their faces the whole time.

“Did you have a good chat with Nick?” Luke asked nonchalantly after a few minutes.

“He just wanted to check in. Flynn told him what Caleb was doing to me and he’s trying to piece together everything he missed.” 

Luke nodded. Julie was relieved to see that he truly didn’t appear to be jealous when it came to Nick anymore. 

“It’s a lot.” 

Julie nodded. He was definitely right about that.

“I’m glad you can be there for him while he figures everything out,” Luke continued.

Julie raised one eyebrow. There was not being jealous anymore and there was trying to be named a saint and Luke was leaning towards the latter.

“Wow, that’s big of you. And didn’t I see you sharing a thank you handshake with Trevor outside the club? Who are you and what have you done with Luke?”

He rolled his eyes, but scooted closer and wound a strand of her hair around his finger.

“This amazing girl wrote me a love song and I went soft,” He murmured. 

Julie felt her heart swell as he called her amazing. 

“To be fair you were always pretty soft,” She pointed out teasingly.

He made a low grumbling noise at her accusation but he was still smiling. 

“Anyway, I was supposed to write you a song first,” He informed her. “You kind of ruined my plans for a big romantic gesture.”

“This is 2020,” Julie said, looping one of her arms around his waist and trying to fight back a yawn. “Girls can make their own big romantic gestures.”

“Hmmm,” He hummed, allowing his eyes to slide closer. “I really feel like tonight’s the night. I’m finally going to sleep for real. I can feel it.”

Julie smiled again as she let her own eyes drift closed as well. She wouldn’t mind if he was right and they truly got to sleep next to each other for the first time.

She was just about to let sleep overtake her when she heard footsteps approaching.

She cracked open one eye and then the other, listening as the footsteps paused directly outside her door.

“I think my dad’s coming,” She hissed at Luke, whose eyes snapped open.

There was a quiet knock at the door. 

“Julie, are you ok?”

“I’m fine!” She called out in a soft voice. 

“Are you sure? I thought I heard voices and I just passed Flynn in the guest room. Are you having nightmares again?”

Julie had a few brief seconds between realizing her dad was about to open the door and it actually happening. 

“He’s coming in, poof out!” She whispered frantically.

Luke nodded but then his eyes widened exponentially. 

“It’s not working!”

“Well, make yourself invisible to him!” 

“It doesn’t feel like that’s working either!”

Her dad’s voice sounded again.

“Julie are you…”

Two things happened at once.

Ray opened the door and Luke in a fit of panic tried to leap up from the bed, becoming tangled in the blankets in the process and tumbling to the floor with a thump. 

Ray paused for a moment in shock before regaining his senses and flipping the light on. He strode over to the other side of Julie’s bed and looked down at the boy he found there.

“Julie...would you like to explain to me why one of the Swedish hologram boys from your band is here... _ in your bed _ ?” 

“Technically I’m on the floor now,” Luke muttered.

Julie had never wanted to hit someone more than she wanted to smack the back of Luke’s head in that moment. Unfortunately he was too far away and her dad’s glare was taking up all of her attention. 

She took a deep breath. 

“Well, uh, Dad the thing is...that’s kind of a funny story…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think more or less frustrating than how the show ended lol?


	48. Bonus: Budget Scooby Gang

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I knew I was almost finished with this story I decided to treat myself by commissioning an artist to capture some of the characters. Little did I know one of the readers Marsegari was an amazingly talented artist!!! So she has created our very own visual representation of the Scooby Gang and I couldn't be any more in love. 
> 
> Give her some love in the comments and follow her on instagram @marsegari. Follow me too if you want @taryn_the_librarian for selfies and cat photos lol.

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/18958043@N05/50625795192/in/dateposted-public/)

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/18958043@N05/50625699826/in/dateposted-public/)

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/18958043@N05/50625801192/in/dateposted-public/)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Josie and Sammi...I can't!!!


End file.
